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WRITING for PRINT 

REVISED 


zA SAMPLE BOOK OF JOURNALISTIC 
CRAFTSMANSHIP, WITH SUGGESTIONS 
FOR HIGH SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS 


BY 

HARRY FRANKLIN ^ARRINGTON 

DIRECTOR OF THE MEDILL SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM 
OF NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 


ASSISTED BY 

EVALINE HARRINGTON 

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, WEST HIGH SCHOOL 
COLUMBUS, OHIO 



D. C. HEATH AND COMPANY 

BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO 

ATLANTA SAN FRANCISCO DALLAS 

LONDON 


U 9 










P N 1-7 75 

■Hzz 


Copyright, 1929 , 

By D. C. Heath and Company 

2 G 9 



PRINTED IN U.S.A. 

©CIA 12076 


AUG 31 I9?9 


THE SCHOOL AS A COMMUNITY 


O NE of the most significant trends in education today is the 
vitalization of classroom teaching. The curriculum has been 
built on the belief that the school’s task is to offer a program provid¬ 
ing the maximum guided growth to every pupil in order that he may 
be physically and mentally healthful, a worthy home member, 
equipped with a mastery of the tools and spirit of learning, a faith¬ 
ful citizen, vocationally effective, a wise employer of his leisure 
time, and endowed with a high degree of ethical character. 

Boys and girls today are learning in the classroom and laboratory 
the definite relation that exists between the knowledge of the text 
and the affairs of men. In the physics laboratory they learn the 
principles governing the operation of the steam engine. They go out 
of the laboratory and see the engine in operation as it excavates for 
the construction of the new athletic stadium on the school grounds. 
In the civics classroom they learn the theories underlying sound 
political government, and in the school council they discover some 
of the difficulties which the statesman experiences in putting those 
theories into practice. 

But the activities of an individual school are far too limited to 
vitalize adequately the curriculum. An adult community which has 
no contact with other communities becomes hopelessly provincial. 
A school is a community and stands in the same danger of provincial¬ 
ism if all of its activities become circumscribed within its own walls 
and grounds. 

Universal education is the parent of another powerful instructive 
force — the public press. In a country where all people learn to 
read, the newspaper is the only agency which makes possible any 
semblance of unity of thought and activity among the citizens. 
The average American child attends school less than seven years. 
Beyond that point his field of knowledge and experience is guided.by 
some other force or group of forces. 

The newspaper, therefore, has become an indispensable factor m 
the broadened program of education. The modern teacher uses the 
daily press to vitalize his textbook material. The student of civics 
not only learns the theory of government from the book and grapples 
with its difficult problems in the school council, but he profits by 
the experience of the world’s statesmen who today are meeting and 
solving those same problems in the parliament halls of the nations, 

iii 


IV 


THE SCHOOL AS A COMMUNITY 


the legislatures of the k states, or the courts of the countries. The 
student of geography learns from his book an important knowledge 
of the movements of ocean currents. The teacher, with the use of 
charts and maps, makes a graphic presentation of the theme. Then, 
the student turns to the newspaper and reads that Commander 
Edward H. Smith of the United States Coast Guard, in the report of 
oceanographic studies which he has just made in the Arctic, declares 
that he had discovered in that region, a great area of warm water 
about 100 meters in depth and covering about 100,000 square miles, 
and predicts that this “great heat reservoir” is bound to have a 
tremendous effect on climatic conditions. 1 

Journalism and news writing are included in the high school cur¬ 
riculum, but not for the purpose of making newspaper men and 
women of high school boys and girls. That is the task of the uni¬ 
versity school of journalism. The effective high school course is 
one which gives its pupils an understanding of the public press and 
its function in promoting the welfare of the citizen. A large portion 
of the course does not concern itself with writing at all. It might 
better be known as instruction in “news reading.” 

Professor Harrington in Writing for Print has upheld this more 
advanced theory of the teaching of high school journalism. He has 
been most unorthodox in writing a textbook as interesting as a 
novel, but a text which requires ample individual effort on the part 
of the pupil. Most of our high school graduates never write for 
print, but nothing will provide more effective practice in self-ex¬ 
pression in conversation or casual writing than training in the use of 
newspaper style. 

We predict that the use of this book in high schools throughout 
the country will result in a great awakening of interest on the part of 
the pupil in the entire curriculum. History will live when he reads 
of yesterday’s archaeological discoveries, the daily movements on the 
stock exchange will make him turn eagerly to his economics and 
mathematics, the construction of a giant airship will prove the prac¬ 
tical value of chemistry, and the necessity for broadening his 
vocabulary will turn Latin from a dead to a living subject. When a 
new generation develops a lofty taste for daily reading, our news¬ 
papers will improve the quality of their work to satisfy that taste. 

Selden Carlyle Adams 

Assistant Director, Division op Publications 
The National Education Association 
Washington, D. C. 

1 See the United States Daily, September 24, 1928. 


A NOTE ABOUT THE NEW EDITION 


R EPAIRED, redecorated, refurnished from bow to stern, the 
good ship Writing for Print leaves dry-dock for another cruise 
in educational waters. Since its launching a few years ago, many 
things have happened to prove the essential soundness of views 
and methods previously advocated as useful allies in the teaching 
of composition in the schools. 

Nearly every modernized high school now publishes a newspaper 
in which outlet is given for publication of news, editorials, and 
special articles of outstanding worth. That writing for a newspaper 
generates interest and incentive there can be little doubt. A 
medium is furnished for the chronicling of observations, thoughts, 
and opinion, the most prized of human possessions. Students learn 
the value of their work, because it is seen and appreciated by their 
fellows in the form of printed information. The stories are written 
about people they know and about actual situations and happenings 
within their own experience. 

The spur of other courses may be that of making a passing grade; 
instead, here is the impulse to write on familiar things and to share 
in the daily comradeship of street and town through the medium of 
the printed page. These reporters look for no greater reward than 
the expression of joy in their work, for without pleasure there is no 
profit. The arid plains of their scholastic lives have been irrigated 
by a constantly renewing interest, namely,' the invitation to seek, 
to find, and finally to write. In the daily performance of their 
duties, under the watchful eye of a sympathetic instructor, they 
discover that precept and principle have become living presences. 

In preparing a revision of the book, Writing for Print, the authors 
have sought the cooperation of teachers, pupils, and newspapermen, 
to the end that the new volume might answer the needs of all con¬ 
cerned. Suggestions and ideas have come from all parts of the 
country. It has been impossible to include all this material in a 
volume somewhat limited in size and scope, but the major recom¬ 
mendations have been embodied in the pages that follow. 

To list all the persons to whom the authors are especially indebted 
for helpful material would require many lines of type. We must con¬ 
tent ourselves by making grateful acknowledgement for services 
extended by S. Carlyle Adams, of the Journal of the National 

v 


VI 


A NOTE ABOUT THE NEW EDITION 


Educational Association; Miss Myra L. McCoy, staff adviser, 
Lincoln Log , Lincoln High School, Cleveland; Miss Iva L. Brown, 
faculty adviser, Lake reView, Lake View High School, Chicago; 
Miss Helen L. Slater, director of Tulsa School Life; Mr. H. A. Ber- 
ens, faculty adviser, Austin Times, Austin High School, Chicago; 
Miss Helen E. Blaisdell, literary adviser, Southerner, South High 
School, Minneapolis; Miss Edna S. Pratt, faculty adviser, Central 
Outlook, Central High School, Columbus, Ohio; Miss Alma G. 
Coltrane, faculty adviser, High Life, Greensboro, (North Carolina) 
High School; Mr. Theodore Stettler, faculty adviser, East Tech 
Scarab, Cleveland; Miss Dorothy G. Nash, sponsor, Spilled Ink, 
Fort Collins, (Colorado); Miss Jocelyn Wallace and Miss Mary 
Crinkshank, faculty advisers, Little Dodger, Fort Dodge (Iowa) 
High School; Dorothy B. Cutler, adviser, Criterion, Bridgeport 
(Connecticut) Central High School; Miss Clara E. Ewalt, School of 
Education, Western Reserve University, Cleveland; Miss Helen 
Harris, faculty adviser, Senn News, Nicholas Senn High School, 
Chicago; Mr. Ambrose P. Spencer, faculty adviser, Black and Gold, 
Cleveland Heights (Ohio) High School. 

Associates of Mr. Harrington in the Medill School of Journalism, 
namely, Mr. Lawrence Martin, Mr. Vaughn Bryant, Mr. Elmo Scott 
Watson, Mr. Joseph Dugan, Mr. Lewis W. Hunt, and Miss Coralie 
V. Schaefer, have given ready cooperation at various stages of 
the book’s progress. Frieda Poston Harrington has likewise 
been of great service in helping to plan the chapter discussions. 
Other indebtedness is indicated in connection with the text. 

Visits of the authors to various high schools and opportunity 
afforded thereby to talk with the editorial and business staffs of 
school publications have been exceedingly fruitful in results, since 
many of the hints contained in this volume came originally from the 
alert minds of boys and girls engaged in the happy experience of 
writing for print. 

H. F. Harrington 

Evaline Harrington 


CONTENTS 


PART I 

CHAPTER PAGE 

The School as a Community . iii 

A Note about the New Edition . v 

I. Sampling the Newspaper . .. 1 

II. The Newspaper Office in Action. 25 

III. News Items for the School Paper. 44 

IY. Building the News Story. 65- 

V. Clubs, Classes, Community Projects. 77 

VI. “How Shall I Write It?”. 96 

VII. Entertainments, Speeches, Interviews .... 104 

VIII. Football and Other Sports.118 

IX. By-Line Stories.131 

X. Copy Reading, Headlines, Makeup.150 

XI. The Reporter’s Use of Words.176 

XII. The High School Editorial Page ...... 189 

XIII. Facts About Type and Printing.206 

XIV. Writing Advertisements.215 

XV. Problems of Business Management.226 

XVI. Other Types of School Publications.244 

PART II 

Copy-desk Practice.252 

Troublesome Words and Phrases.261 

Dictionary of Common Newspaper Terms . . 265 

PART III 

Chapter Assignments. 268 

Index. 317 

vii 




























PART I 


WRITING FOR PRINT 

CHAPTER I 

SAMPLING THE NEWSPAPER 

Fashions in Writing. The big show window of a well- 
known dry goods store contained the other day a picturesque 
display of women’s dresses as they were fifty years ago and 
as they are today. The sight of billowy hoop skirts, balloon 
sleeves, and lacy embroideries brought amused smiles to the 
faces of passers-by, accustomed to the simpler, more sensible 
attire of our modern girl. 

Just as styles in dress show a change for the better, so do 
fashions in writing exhibit the present-day tendency toward 
the practical. Consider the composition of letters. Here is 
the first paragraph of a four-page “epistle” penned with a 
fine flourish by President George Washington to his step- 
grandchild and adopted son, George Washington Parke 
Custis, regarding the boy’s “indisposition to continue his 
studies”: 

Mount Vernon 4th June 
1797 

Dear Washington: 

Your letter of the 29th ult. came to my hand by the Post of 
Friday, and eased my mind of many unpleasant sensations and re¬ 
flections on your account. It has indeed done more, it has filled it 
with pleasure, more easy to be conceived than expressed; and 
if your sorrow and repentance for the disquietude as occasioned by 
the previous letter, and your resolution to abandon the ideas which 
were therein expressed, are sincere, I shall not only heartily forgive, 
but will forget also, and bury in oblivion, all that has passed. 

Compare the foregoing sample of flowery circumlocution 
with the following crisp excerpt taken from a letter written 

l 


2 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


by a keen-eyed editor, Will Owen Jones, and intended for 
readers of his newspaper “back home”: 1 

London, July 4 — This is London. It is also the Fourth of 
July, but as I am writing early in the morning, notes on a British 
celebration of our Independence Day must be postponed. 

We have now been visiting London for several days and find her 
fully up to the advance notices. We like the old lady. She is 
wrinkled, serene, motherly, unhurried. She doesn’t know we are 
here, and yet she takes good care of us. London is the biggest city 
in the world, but she doesn’t roar. Since she put on rubber tires 
and smoothed her streets with wooden blocks and asphalt, only a 
hum arises from the rivers of traffic. 

Even in the rush hours, when the double-decked busses fill the 
streets from end to end and almost from curb to curb, nobody loses 
his temper. We haven’t yet been commanded to “step lively.” 
Everybody takes his time. This morning an American lady asked 
the elevator man in our hotel if he could wait while she went back 
to her room. “Thank you,” he said, “I have until half past eight 
o’clock tonight.” That is the spirit of London. Only he didn’t 
say “Thank you.” What he said was “Cue!” 

While the manner of expression — even the punctuation — 
used by these two writers offers striking contrast, it is also 
noteworthy that each glows with fresh, sympathetic contact 
with actual life. But one is clogged with verbose formality; 
the other alive with vivid pictures. 

Broadly speaking, it is quite evident that many literary 
models, once admired and imitated, have now given way to 
newer modes. The present-day reader grows impatient with 
the leisurely, highly decorated descriptions contained in one 
of Sir Walter Scott’s novels. Gorgeous verbal displays 
found in an historical essay by Lord Macaulay, moralizing 
“asides” by Thackeray, sentimentalizing by Dickens, no 
longer command the ready interest they once did. In fact, 
newspapers and magazines, using a medium at once collo¬ 
quial and realistic, are more widely read today than any 
other type of composition. They may be said to have set a 
fashion of their own. 


1 From the Nebraska State Journal , Lincoln. 


SAMPLING THE NEWSPAPER 


3 


The Writer’s Purpose. Perhaps you have thought of 
writing as a heavy, useless chore, to be done grudgingly at 
the command of a critical teacher. Perhaps you have asso¬ 
ciated it too much with the carrying out of bothersome rules 
and regulations and have found yourself in a mental maze, 
coupled with distrust of your own abilities to handle words 
effectively. 

Suppose you think of writing as a thing to be enjoyed 
rather than dreaded. President George Washington found 
satisfaction in addressing that lad who wanted to quit 
school; the editor had no thought of producing a literary 
masterpiece when he sat down to talk about his experiences 
abroad. 

What is the secret of good writing? The answer is simple. 
Find something that interests you tremendously; then tell 
it through print to somebody else. Revise your press copy 
so that it is as clear and straightforward as you can make it. 
Don’t feel that you must be “literary” and impressive. 
Be natural, direct, easy; have some fun in harnessing words 
into swiftly running sentences and paragraphs. 

Think of yourself not as the writer of a class exercise on 
a stale subject, but rather as an explorer searching for infor¬ 
mation about unusual incidents and happenings lurking in 
school and neighborhood. Your object is to publish these 
findings either in the school newspaper or in the city daily. 
Such purposeful activities will try your ingenuity as a re¬ 
liable news scout and test all your powers as a thinker and 
writer. It is work worth doing; but it will be subject to 
constant scrutiny on the part of readers. Perhaps that is 
good for the soul. 

Types of Applied Composition. The newspaper is a sur¬ 
prise package filled with different samples of writing. In 
one regard these samples are similar. They all record, at 
first hand, the writer’s reactions to the busy life around him. 
Consider what he may do with his talents. He may describe 
a scene, spin a yarn, argue a conviction, offer advice, ex- 


4 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


plain a point of fact, persuade somebody to buy a product. 
As an apprentice he may try his hand at producing: 

(1) headlines, 

(2) the news story, 

(3) human-interest copy, 

(4) feature stuff, 

(5) practical guidance miscellany, 

(6) the editorial, 

(7) the casual essay, 

(8) the letter, 

(9) tabloid fiction, 

(10) topical verse, 

(11) critical reviews, 

(12) advertisements. 

Let him be assured that if he produces readable copy in 
any of these diversified branches of creative writing a news¬ 
paper can make use of his stuff. Is anything more practi¬ 
cal, more satisfying, than this? 

Of course, the reporter is obliged to perform certain news 
assignments delegated by his superior. He has a chance also 
to forage for himself in his search for copy. It is only through 
such adventurous experiments that he will learn his trade 
as a careful observer and a skillful penman and thus discover 
through practice what he can do best. 

Exploring the Newspaper. Before the beginner in the 
game of words sets out, unaided, to look for something real 
to write about, it may simplify his job to study the contents 
of well-edited newspapers. Such investigations will help 
him to determine the kinds of articles and stories of interest 
to readers. Then he can decide if the writers of these articles 
have succeeded in presenting their material effectively. 

Sample No. 1: Headlines. The most obvious thing about 
a newspaper is its headlines. Sometimes this headline is in 
the form of a black type streamer, reaching across the top, 
thus: 


NAVY HUNTS FOR LOST FLIERS 


SAMPLING THE NEWSPAPER 


5 


The display indicates that the editor considers this story 
a news sensation, and advertises it as such in the hope of 
selling the paper. 

This spread about the lost fliers uses a verb and noun to 
tell the news; also the headline is made up of a definite 
number of letters and spaces. Otherwise, the head will not 
fit the space allowed for it. 

Let us examine another headline, set in one-column width: 


DOG ON ‘L’ TRACK 
TIES UP TRAFFIC 

Half Dozen Trains Stalled at Ken¬ 
sington and Allegheny Avs. 
During 5-Minute Chase 

CROWD APPLAUDS ANTICS 


The creator of this caption has also been compelled to 
pour important facts of the story into a set mold that can¬ 
not be changed or modified. 

He must choose short, concrete, forceful words. 

He must not repeat. 

The statement must be clear and accurate. 

Here, then, is a practical problem in composition, like 
that of finding the right word in a cross-word puzzle. The 
head writer must be able to compress the gist of a story 
into short measure, using telling words and phrases to attract 
a reader. Good training, this, in disciplining the mind to 
think in short, pungent sentences. 

Sample No. 2: The News Story. The most typical 
article published in the daily press is the news story, a 
recital of events whose major purpose is to inform. 

A veteran editor reminds us that the news story differs 







6 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


from rhetorical narration in that it calls for a setting forth 
of important news features at the beginning. Instead of 
its situations and incidents leading up to a climax, the 
climax and a summary of causes and results precede elabora¬ 
tion of details. The opening sentence of the news story 
is called the “lead”; the rest, the “body.” The well- 
executed news narrative presents facts objectively, concisely, 
dramatically. It becomes the business of the reporter not 
only to give people what they want but also to make them 
want what he has to give. 

Note the methods employed by the writer in recording 
this sensational piece of news: 


GOEBEL SETS NEW 
RECORD IN FLIGHT 
ACROSS CONTINENT 


1. Headlines 


Curtiss Field — The first transcontinental 
nonstop airplane flight from west to east was 
completed here Monday by Art Goebel and 
Harry Tucker, who crossed the country from 
Los Angeles in a Lockheed-Vega monoplane 
in 18 hours and 58 minutes. 

Their plane, the Yankee Doodle, landed at 
11:04 a. m., eastern daylight saving time, beat¬ 
ing by 7 hours and 42 minutes the record made 
by Lieut. John A. Macready and Oakley G. 
Kelly, who made the east to west transcon¬ 
tinental hop in 1923. 

Leaving Mines Field, Los Angeles, at 12:06 
o’clock, coast time, Sunday afternoon, Goebel 
piloted the Yankee Doodle across New Mexico, 
swung over Wichita, Kan., passed above 'St. 
Louis at midnight and crossed Columbus, O., 
at dawn. 

Goebel Piloted Entire Trip 

Goebel, who won the Dole race to Hawaii, was 
at the controls throughout the journey. Tucker, 
Santa Monica sportsman, who backed the flight, 
rode as a passenger. 

Because the Yankee Doodle had been ex¬ 
pected to land at Roosevelt Field, few persons 
were at Curtiss Field when the big plane came 


2. The lead 


3. The body of 
the story 








SAMPLING THE NEWSPAPER 


7 


into view. Frank R. Tichenor, editor of Aero 
Digest, whom Goebel greeted with a “Good 
morning, Frank,” as he stepped from the ship, 
took the unofficial landing time, since no official 
timers were present. Tichenor said the Yankee 
Doodle’s wheels touched the ground at 
11:04 a. m. 

Goebel and Tucker flew at altitudes of from 
8000 to 10,000 feet, and with the aid of favoring 
winds made an average speed of 150 miles an 
hour. The plane’s consumption of gasoline was 
360 gallons. 

One of Goebel’s first acts was to wire his 
mother, Mrs. Emma Goebel of Los Angeles, 
news of his safe arrival. 

The fastest previous time for a transcon¬ 
tinental flight was 21 hours and 48 minutes, 
made by Lieut. Russell L. Maugham in 1924. 
That was not a nonstop flight. Maugham’s 
route was from New York to San Francisco and 
five stops were made en route for refueling. 

Reached 10,000-Foot Altitudes 

Goebel estimated the distance of the flight at 
2710 miles. He navigated by instruments all the 
way, for the fliers, soaring in places to a height of 
10,000 feet, were able to pick up no landmarks. 

The Yankee Doodle slipped through several 
areas of fog and was pushed a bit by severe side¬ 
winds, especially over Terra Haute, Ind. Goe¬ 
bel said that at times it was necessary to head 
the plane 15 degrees off the course to allow for 
the air currents. 

At the Garden City Hotel the two fliers ate a 
breakfast of eggs and orange juice. There was 
food aboard the Yankee Doodle, but it went 
untouched except for one bite taken from a 
sandwich by Tucker. 

During the night Goebel, sitting in the for¬ 
ward seat, and Tucker, behind him, passed notes 
to each other on a pulley wire. 

After a short rest at the hotel in Garden City 
they planned to drive to the Hotel Ambassador, 
New York. 

— Associated Press 


3. The body of 
the story 


Sample No. 3: Human Interest. Three members of a 
camping party recently went to a near-by farmhouse to get 
a supply of butter and eggs, as was their custom. No one 
answered their knock, but the kitchen door was open. So 
they decided to go in, count out the eggs for themselves, 






8 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


and leave the money on the table. They started to do so, 
when suddenly a strange voice called “Who’s there! What 
do you want? Get out of here!” The campers were so 
startled that they dropped the eggs and ran. On their way 
across the field they met the farmer’s wife and explained 
what had happened. She laughed and said, “Why, that’s 
Dicky, my pet parrot. Come back and I’ll introduce you.” 

Is this a news story? Yes, in one sense. It presents 
fresh information, interesting but not very important. Its 
main appeal is to our sense of humor and our love of mystery. 
If a writer announced in the opening sentence that it was 
the parrot that caused all the trouble, the story would fall 
down at once. The better classifying word for such a yarn 
is human interest, that compelling quality in an incident 
which plays upon our instincts and emotions. It is the sort 
of thing that gives the Bible its universal appeal. If the yarn 
about the parrot is spun skillfully, its reward will be sure — 
a reader’s chuckle of delight. 

The divergent aims of the news story and the human- 
interest yarn may readily be seen by studying two versions 
of the same incident: 

News Treatment 

Buffalo, N. Y., March 4 — Benjamin Cran¬ 
dall, aged 104, the inventor of the hobby horse, 
died here today almost penniless. Death was 
due to paralysis. Crandall was a native of 
Westerly, R. I., and as a young man worked as a 
mechanic in New York. He perfected the 
nursery toy, but never profited financially from 
the invention. He will be buried in New York. 

Human-Interest Treatment 

Buffalo, N. Y., March 4 (United Press) — 

In thousands of homes and on hundreds of 
merry-go-rounds, little children today sat astride 
the hobby horses, laughingly riding “to Ban¬ 
bury Cross to see an old woman ride on a 
white hoss.” 

But not many of them knew that the man 
who invented those mechanical horses which 
never falter as they gallop countless imaginary 






SAMPLING THE NEWSPAPER 


9 


miles through lands of childish dreams, died 
here last night. The man was Benjamin Cran¬ 
dall and he had lived 104 years. 

Once he had been wealthy — enjoying riches 
gained through the joy he brought to child¬ 
hood. 

But he helped a friend who was in trouble, as 
might be expected of a man whose imagination 
ran to the building of children’s toys, merry- 
go-round horses, and the things which bring 
gaiety to carnivals and amusement parks. The 
troubles of his friend were lifted but they came 
back to him; he was ruined financially and died 
here almost in poverty. It had been 20 years 
since money had been plentiful in his purse. 

Crandall was a native of Westerly, R. I. He 
came to New York when a young man and 
worked as a mechanic. 

Over his bench he dreamed of things that 
would amuse the children who played on the 
streets near his shop. From these dreams he 
evolved the hobby horse. 

The world was not slow to take it up. It was 
not many years before his horses were being 
ridden, through the wide spaces which open in 
childish dreams, by thousands of children. To¬ 
day hardly a nursery is complete without one, 
and no merry-go-round could draw a penny, 
were it not for its galloping animals. 

Until 20 years ago Crandall manufactured his 
creations. Then he failed in business. He came 
here and spent the remainder of his life living 
with relatives. 

A few months ago he was stricken with pa¬ 
ralysis. Death came last night. 

The body of this 104-year-old benefactor of 
childhood will be buried in New York City 
not many miles from the spot where the first 
hobby horse galloped. 

Sample No. 4: Feature Stuff. Timeliness, immediacy, 
matter-of-fact particulars, found in the transient news story, 
are minimized in the feature story. This type of narrative, 
proceeding at more leisurely pace, allows the writer oppor¬ 
tunity to stray into the realms of science, history, literature, 
and philosophy in gathering material for articles. 

Though it is undoubtedly true that news references give 
freshness to the story, still more depends upon attractive 
literary treatment than upon swift unraveling of facts. The 






10 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


average feature story concerns itself primarily with ideas 
and things , rather than with people, the hub of the human- 
interest story. 

To enliven a table of statistics, describe an interesting 
laboratory experiment, set forth engineers’ plans for a new 
flying field, certainly requires more skill than picturing an 
ordinary news incident. Every resource of the writer is ! 
called into action when he sets out to produce feature stuff. 

The following story is submitted as a good example of 
feature copy: 

New York — A group of 85 children at Union Settlement is 
just completing an “around the world tour” which included 
“visits” to the British Isles, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Italy, and , 
Japan, although the little visitors never once left their own home 
community in and near East 104th Street. 

The novel program was inaugurated as part of the summer play 1 
school activity, and, according to Miss Cynthia Knowles, director 
of the settlement, it has proved to be a very happy and profitable 
variation of the regular schedule. 

The “ship’s deck” is the stage in the assembly room which, on 
the day of embarking in a foreign port, is equipped with a tennis 1 
net for a railing and a gang-plank instead of the usual row of plat- i 
form steps. The children are divided into tourists on the incoming 
vessel and “natives” who, in the costume of the country visited, 
wait in the assembly room to welcome the travelers. Miss Knowles 4 
is the captain of the ship; Miss Mildred Rogers is first-mate, and 
the children are ensigns, stewards, or passengers. 

The experiment has led to a free expression of initiative in many \ 
of the pupils, according to Miss Knowles. She said that it had given j 
“continuity” to the summer program and had succeeded in em- ] 
phasizing such qualities as politeness and courtesy. 

In some instances the conversations between the “tourists” and 
the “natives” were written ahead of time by the pupils. They 
consisted of questions and answers regarding the cities of foreign 
countries, their places of interest, the fashions of their peoples. 

The ship motif has permeated nearly every activity at the school. 
The art room is lined with paintings of many varieties of ships by 
children of different ages. Model sailboats are being manufactured 
in the workshop. Songs of the “bounding main” ring from the 
music hall. 

The cruise ’ of the play school ship has attracted the attention 



SAMPLING THE NEWSPAPER 


11 


j of workers in other play schools and many interested visitors who 
! regard it as a new and delightfully informal interpretation of the 
i vacation program. — Christian Science Monitor, Boston 

Sample No. 5: Practical Guidance. “How to Play Foot- 
j ball/’ a series of articles by a well-known sports expert, 
and recently published in a metropolitan newspaper, received 
i careful reading. Some of its suggestions were adopted by 
! players of the game. Such material falls into the niche of 
practical guidance, a service for readers provided by an in¬ 
creasing number of newspapers. 

Chance examination of a single issue of a small-town 
paper shows that it offered authoritative counsel on how to 
keep well, how to write a letter of condolence, how to make 
a bird house, how to can tomatoes, how to preside at a club 
meeting. Each article was presented in clear, specific Eng¬ 
lish. None exceeded two hundred words in length. 

The following specimen, by the use of picture and dialect, 
! offers an unusual article of this variety: 

AUNT PRISCILLA 
SAYS: 

De fryin’ ob yo’ eggplant ’pends on 
wheder you likes it crispy or not. If you 
wants it crispy try it dis way: 

Crisp Fried Eggplant 

Pare de eggplant an’ 
slice it real thin. Sprinkel 
each slice wid salt an’ pile 
togeder wid a plate top 
an’ bottom, puttin’ a wate 
on de top plate so’s to 
press out de exter ju’ce. 

Let stan’ a ’our or mo’. 

Den dredge wid flour an’ 
cook till crispy in melted 
butter. Shake ober a little 
pepper an’ serb on a nice 
hot platter. 

If you is mighty anxshus 
to hab it crispy dis am a nice way ob 
fixin’ it. 



— Baltimore Sun 









12 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Sample No. 6: The Editorial. The editorial, unlike the 
news story which is designed to inform or entertain, com¬ 
ments on the news. The editorial presents the opinions of 
a writer who surveys the procession of current events and 
ponders their meaning and significance. As a medium, 
it permits the newspaper to voice an opinion and lay aside 
the role of impartial observer. An editorial may censure, 
endorse, persuade, interpret, encourage, advocate. A news 
story may only give the facts that are the basis for pertinent 
discussion. The editorial may be informal and familiar, or 
grave and impressive, in marshaling its conclusions. But 
no matter how informal the style, the editorial is always 
linked with the mood and events of the day. 

Note how news and views are joined in this specimen: 

HOGGING THE SCENERY 

More than a hundred organizations in the United States have 
been fighting tooth and nail for restriction of the hideous billboard 
nuisance, and at last it would seem that their efforts are to be 
rewarded with success. They have obtained the endorsement of 
240 national advertisers and agencies who have agreed hereafter 
to restrict their signs to commercial districts where they properly 
belong, if they are permitted at all. 

This is a real public service. It needs no argument to demon¬ 
strate the increase of offensive signs. Under the stress of competi¬ 
tion, advertisers and advertising agencies have proclaimed their 
wares in tones so strident that the whole countryside shrieks with 
them. There is scarcely a bit of woodland or pasture bordering 
any main highroad or railroad in the United States that is not 
disfigured by billboards. It almost seems that the lovelier the spot 
the more inevitable the advertisement and the more obvious the 
desecration. Many tourists now refuse to buy commodities thus 
offensively thrust at them. 

The advertisers who have now agreed to withdraw their sign¬ 
boards from the rural regions have shown good business sense. 
The public will be the more disposed to patronize concerns that 
manifest some consideration for public rights and some due appre¬ 
ciation for “the unsullied mead,” or whatever of it remains un¬ 
sullied after the widespread disfigurement of the open country. 
The removal of billboards from forest and meadow will bring sighs 


SAMPLING THE NEWSPAPER 


13 


of relief from all who appreciate the beauties of nature. Thanks 
of the country are due especially the National Federation of 
Women’s Clubs and other organizations that have worked to bring 
advertisers to realize that they were injuring their own business by 
hogging the scenery. _ Birminghanl) Ai abama; News 

Sample No. 7: The Casual Essay. Editorial writers do 
not spend all their time delivering heavy broadsides on 
matters that stir their indignation. The fall of autumn 
leaves, the song of a bird in a maple tree, the whirr of a 
lawnmower may set their fancy free. Presto! a whimsical 
sketch possessing the genial warmth of sunlight. 

Note how the following jolly essay originated in the mind 
of the writer, and the literary charm of its telling: 

PIE WAGONS 

An eviscerated pie wagon is laid up somewhere in a west side 
garage for repairs. It was rammed the other day in an encounter 
with a taxicab, and later looted. Small boys fulfilled their oppor¬ 
tunities and stomachs with primitive promptness. The jammed 
pie wagon, its golden hulk caved in, its pies gone save for a cran¬ 
berry smear or so, was left like wreck and romance on a southern 
reef. 

These blonde galleons sailing out with pies deserve a better 
place in Chicago’s romance and adventure. There is red joy in 
them, particularly in cherry season, and their wanderings over the 
city always skirt on piracy and freebooting. The heart of darkness 
lies just back of every curb. Wild life embodied in small boys 
lurks to take advantage of every wreck. A broken wheel means 
disaster and looting. A collision breaks out treasure dear to savage 
souls. 

Pity these pie wagons, or at least consider the risk that they run 
so blandly. No treasure ships along the Spanish Main ever sailed 
a more unfriendly coast. Within these wagons are catacombs of 
pies quite undefended. For pies are naive things easily ravaged. 
A lemon cream is Andromeda before the dragon. It appeals to 
gallantry. 

But pie wagons must trust to luck and careful drivers. They 
arouse old passions in the male breast. He becomes implicitly a 
pirate and a savage. When a taxi rams a pie wagon, law on the 
high seas of Chicago is gone. _ Chicago Tribune 


14 


WHITING FOR PRINT 


Sample No. 8: The Letter. Some of the most pungent 
editorials appearing in newspapers are written by readers 
who feel impelled to formulate their opinions for publication. 
Editors not only welcome and print such voluntary contribu¬ 
tions, but they often deliberately “bait” the public in the 
hope of getting a lively nibble. 

Curiously enough, these vox populi letters generally vent 
some pet grievance held by a citizen. He thinks rubbish 
should be removed from alleys and back lots, bus service 
is needed to an outlying school, swifter justice should be 
meted out to automobile drivers who violate the ordinance 
against speeding. The readers’ column offers correspondents 
an open forum for such discussions. The result is sponta¬ 
neous, vigorous writing warmed with conviction. 

Consider this sample: 

GOING BACK TO SOCRATES 

To the New York Herald-Tribune: 

In your sensible and illuminating editorial in yesterday’s issue 
commenting on my recent statement that “the best teacher in 
most colleges is the football coach” you raise and answer some very 
searching questions. 

May I add that another reason why the football coach is the 
best teacher is because football is taken seriously in our colleges? 
Imagine a coach permitting a candidate for a team to take ten cuts 
from practice during the football season! Imagine the coach keeping 
a loafer on the squad! He fires the duffer and the quitter without 
the slightest compunction — even though he be a trustee’s son. 
Yet off the field the relation between coach and player is friendly 
and human. 

The professor maintains no such rigid standards in the class¬ 
room. As President Eliot once said, even “the consequences of 
habitual failures in recitations are not very serious.” Indeed, any 
one who has been graduated from college knows that about one- 
third of the degrees are unearned. Yet outside the classroom there 
is little intercourse or camaraderie between professor and student. 
The relation is rather that of lord and serf. 

The Herald-Tribune will, I am sure, be glad to know that at 
Rollins College we have tried to bring the teaching in the classroom 
up to level of the football field. Our professors, who are chosen for 


SAMPLING THE NEWSPAPER 


15 


their teaching rather than their research abilities, insist on getting, and 
in most cases do get, the best out of their students during our eight- 
hour working day and at the same time treat them as human beings. 

As a consequence there are happiness, contentedness, loyalty 
to the college and willingness to work faithfully on the part of the 
students that are felt by all who come in contact with them, whether 
faculty, townsfolk or outside visitors. Some people call this new¬ 
fangled, radical and revolutionary. But I think it is old-fangled 
and reactionary; for, as far as I can see, it is nothing but going 
back to Socrates and putting him on an eight-hour day. 

Hamilton Holt. 

Sample No. 9: Tabloid Fiction. “Tell us a story” is a 
command which was never confined to the nursery. Every¬ 
body likes an entertaining yarn. Few newspapers have the 
space for magazine-length fiction, but many of them print 
short, dramatic episodes, built on slight foundation of plot, 
and sometimes suggested by daily events. 

O. Henry, famous American short-story writer, wrote some 
of his most engrossing tales for the New York World; Richard 
Harding Davis described the adventures of Van Bibber for 
the New York Sun. The newspaper offers hospitable haven 
to writers with diverting stories in their knapsacks. 

For many years the Chicago Daily News has printed an 
“evening story” on its editorial page. Each novelette is 
signed with the author’s name and illustrated by drawings. 
Stories that relate incidents of domestic life — including 
love and adventure — are favored by the editor of the de¬ 
partment, and payment is made at the rate of one cent a 
word. Contributors to the page (amateurs for the most 
part) have organized a little club and meet regularly to 
exchange amenities and ideas. 

A sample of tabloid fiction is herewith offered for your 
approval: 

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER 

Natalie started off for high school in something of a pet. In 
the first place it was dreadfully hard on one’s disposition to have 
to get up in time for 8 o’clock classes. In the second place that 


16 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


father of hers — in other moods known as darling daddums— 
positively had refused to increase her allowance, saying it was 
quite enough for any schoolgirl, which, of course, was ridiculous. 

But the brisk, bright atmosphere of early October soon raised 
her spirits, and by the time she reached the school steps she was 
her own gay self. Her heart quickened the more as an exceedingly 
handsome boy she had observed previously in one of her classes 
called “Hello!” to her as she approached the entrance. 

“Nice day,” he ventured. 

“Beautiful,” she said — and the bell rang. 

Her first class was ancient history. She sat next to Sally Hopkins. 
Sally knew everything and everybody. Natalie scribbled a note 
to Sally. In it she described the boy she had met on the steps. She 
even drew a little sketch of him so that there could be no mistake. 

“His name,” wrote back Sally, “is Arthur Cox. Isn’t he beauti¬ 
ful, though? Everybody calls him Apollo. He has a reputation 
for being very high-hat with girls. He went with Nanette Smith 
for about two weeks and then gave her the gate.” 

Natalie pondered over this information so absorbedly that she 
failed to notice that she was being called upon to recite, and her 
account of the Persian wars would have astonished Xenophon. 

At 9 o’clock came Natalie’s class in English composition. Here 
she made a few eyes across the aisle at Horace Titbottom. But 
this usually enticing sport seemed to have lost some of its flavor. 
She fell back upon her book, assumed to be following the verses 
of Spenser which the teacher was scanning. Soon she had a pencil 
between her lips. Inspiration burned. 

“A is for Apollo, a Greek god of old,” she wrote. “He’s been 
resurrected, so I have been told. His hair is like amber, his lips 
are like flame.” 

“Are you paying attention, Miss Watts?” Natalie stammered 
something. What rhymes with flame, anyway? 

The next hour was a study hour, but Natalie decided to put off 
her lessons until evening, although she knew she would want to 
go to the movies when evening arrived. After all, one couldn’t 
give one’s attention to dull lessons when one was so occupied with 
delicious dreams. Who shall know except Natalie what gossamer 
threads of romance were broken when the bell rang for her lunch 
period? 

When one is 15 even romance waits on lunch. Natalie consumed 
two portions of fruit and olive salad with mayonnaise, a double 
chocolate fudge sundae and three pieces of Lady Baltimore cake. 
She heard Sally gush further on the subject of “Apollo.” In fact, 





SAMPLING THE NEWSPAPER 


17 


she hung so attentively on Sally’s description that she did not notice 
until too late the escape from her plate of a large blob of chocolate 
sauce. This blob descended, as ill luck would have it, directly 
into Natalie’s lap and made an ugly stain on her almost new blue 
fall frock. 

“Oh,” said Natalie and dabbed hastily with a napkin. But 
before she had made the stain very much worse the bell rang and 
she had to dash off to her chemistry class. 

The chemistry teacher was a young man of whom Natalie and 
her companions could not quite think as faculty. With tears in 
her eyes she begged him to tell her what would take the stain out 
of her dress. He not only told, he provided. While the rest of 
the class labored ponderously over the periodic law, Natalie bent 
over her dress in the supply room, rubbing, rubbing, rubbing. For 
at her next hour she would meet — Apollo. 

It was geometry, a subject for the existence of which Natalie 
could not see the slightest excuse. But she hurried to that class¬ 
room today with the speed of a commuter trying to catch the last 
train. 

“I have such a bad cold,” she told Miss Vivien, the teacher, with 
just the right nasal impediment, “may I change my seat from next 
the window over to the other side? ” 

“Of course you may, Miss Watts,” said Miss Vivien. “Don’t 
you think you’d better go home?” 

“No, indeed,” said Natalie, and, withdrawing hastily, she 
marched over to the coveted seat next to that occupied by Apollo. 

That hour Natalie labored hard, used her eyes assiduously, but 
not on Euclid. It was within ten minutes to the hour when she 
finally found assurance that the day had not been spent in vain. 
A tiny wad of paper was tossed over to her from the seat opposite. 

“Will you go with me to the game Saturday?” said the note. 

“Charmed,” wrote Natalie. 

Father thought it necessary to ask such stupid questions; it 
was a sort of ritual with him. . 

“What did you learn in school today?” was a favorite. But 

she was ready for him tonight. 

“In history I learned all about Apollo,” she said. And m 
English I wrote a poem. In chemistry I was taught how to take 
out stains, and in math I had demonstrated that a straight line is 
the shortest distance between two points.” Father’s conscience 

gave a twinge. _ _ _ ,» . . ... 

“About that allowance — ” he began, and Natalie kissed him 

on his funny bald head. M* D. 


18 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Sample No. 10: Topical Verse. — Do not think of verse 
as the exclusive handiwork of such illustrious word artists 
as Keats and Shelley. Current newspapers and periodicals 
abound in excellent verse, much of it written by amateurs 
and prompted by topics of the day. These contributions 
find easy entrance into the newspaper “colyumn,” a popular 
editorial page feature found in many metropolitan dailies. 
Under the guidance of clever conductors, these rectangles of 
mirth and wisdom have developed unique individuality and a 
devoted following. In most instances, poems printed in news¬ 
papers obey conventional metrical laws, but freedom from 
cramping regulations is also the privilege of the versifier. 

Here is a colorful poem, without rhymes, composed by a 
young man of high school age, and widely reprinted in 
newspapers throughout the country: 

WRITTEN ON A STREET CAR 

Crowded into a corner 
The Japanese wife sits, 

A blossom 

Robbed of its fragrance. 

She has left 

The noble iris and scented lilies 
For the smell of industry and smoke, 

This liberty. 

Nothing 

Awaits her here 

Life is being torn from her 

As embroidery 

From an Oriental screen 

Her daintiness has gone, 

Coiled away 
Into the sky 

With the incense of her fathers. 

Another sun lights her days, 

Another moon 
Her nights. 

Her onyx eyes 
Are fountains 
Of opalescent tears. 


SAMPLING THE NEWSPAPER 


19 


Keeper of Flowers, 

Is it in this way 

Your seeds are transplanted! 

— Jack Mail 

Sample No. 11: The Critical Review. The typical book¬ 
reviewing department, published by many papers, contains 
book news plus the opinion of reviewers and not, as is so 
often supposed, scholarly literary criticism. The method 
usually employed by the reviewer is to tell what is in the 
book and why it would probably interest the reader. The 
true book review is not an estimate of the style and manners 
of the author but a recital of the theme and purpose of 
the book, without ill-humored sarcasm and censure. (The 
same standards of procedure should actuate a writer com¬ 
missioned to review a play.) 

Here is a review showing the combination of a descrip¬ 
tion of the contents of the book, in addition to the reviewer’s 
opinion as to its probable appeal to the public: 

Wild Animal Interviews. By W. T. Hornaday. Charles 
Scribner’s Sons, 310 pp., illustrated, $2.50. 

Nobody knows more about wild animals than Dr. Hornaday, 
for 30 years director of the New York Zoological gardens. He has 
visited some of them in their natural habitat, and others he has 
become acquainted with because of their presence in the gardens. 
In this book, he deals imaginatively with bears, mountain goats, 
wolverines, lions, ostriches, buffalos, crocodiles, giraffes and two 
score other denizens of the wild. He brings out the facts about each 
by cleverly devised interviews in which the animals in turn are 
made to speak, telling something of their likes and dislikes, their 
habits and mode of living. 

In his preface, Dr. Hornaday says: “Some persons may call 
these stories ‘fiction,’ to which we do not at all object. In case 
there arises a doubt or suspicion regarding the accuracy of the 
translation of an interview, the author will call to the witness stand 
the animal concerned and cheerfully submit it as a material witness 
for cross-examination. In pursuing these researches, we have learned 
a great deal that we never knew before, and my only regret is that 
they were undertaken too late to be of any real service to the animals 
concerned.” 


20 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


These interviews will be read by young people and adults with 
equal profit and entertainment. If men knew more about the wild 
life with which they not infrequently come in contact, they would 
bear themselves with more justice toward the animals that make 
it up. 

— Columbus, Ohio, Sunday Dispatch 

Sample No. 12 : The Advertisement. Advertisements today 
occupy about half of the printed area of a newspaper, and 
they are not the least interesting items in its list of contents. 
Often advertisements constitute significant news; indeed 
they are mirrors of changing tastes, styles, habits of life. 
Moreover, if you seek examples of effective literary presen¬ 
tation, do not pass by the magazine and newspaper where 
all the arts of the skilled copy writer are on display. 

An advertisement is salesmanship in print. Its chief 
function is to convince the reader to buy a product through 
clear exposition of its worth, using for the purpose headlines, 
pictures, challenging sentences, concrete applications to hu¬ 
man needs. An advertisement of a reputable business bris¬ 
tles with clean-cut statements of fact; it no longer seeks to 
win trade by piling up superlatives and alluring promises. An 
advertisement designed to deceive the public is in the same 
category as the “fake” news story. Neither has any real 
right to invade newspaper columns. Incidentally, if it were 
not for the revenue derived from the sale of advertising 
space, no newspaper could be made and delivered for the 
price of a few coppers. 

Here is an example of persuasive copy: 

The food your boy eats has much to do with his vigor. That fact 
was recently proved conclusively in a three-year English child 
nutrition test, which was supervised by a committee of twelve men 
of national prominence, of which The Earl of Balfour, K. G., 
0. M., F. R. S., was chairman. 

In making the test, six hundred fine, healthy boys, who lived in 
a model village, were divided into groups. To the regular menu 
of each group were added, each meal, small allowances of other 
foods, such as butter, milk, margarine, etc. 



SAMPLING THE NEWSPAPER 


21 


The results were amazing. The group of boys which received the 
added portion of good, pure butter showed outstanding progress. 

Where the average increase in weight per year was 3.85 pounds , 
the boys who ate butter gained 6.30 pounds. Where the average annual 
gain in height of the boys fed on the basic diet and margarine diet was 
1.84 inches, the boys fed on the basic diet with the addition of butter 
gained 2.22 inches. 

The reason is that butter, when scientifically made, is very rich 
in vitamins A and D. These are the vitamins which children must 
have to combat rickets and anemia as well as to assure proper growth 
and to build strong bones and healthy bodies. 

What Is a Newspaper? Considered solely from the van¬ 
tage point of content, then, a newspaper is a printed record 
issued weekly, or more frequently, containing news of current 
happenings, opinion and interpretation deduced therefrom, 
combined with entertainment, practical information and 
advice, and sales talk in the form of advertisements. 

This home-made definition leaves out of consideration the 
obligations of the newspaper as a community builder, as a 
spokesman of international good will, and as a stabilizing 
check upon government. 

Some Superior Newspapers. “What is the best news¬ 
paper published in the United States?” is a question fre¬ 
quently put to specialists in journalism. What a poser! 
You might just as well ask for a definition of a perfect fa¬ 
ther, a perfect high school student, a perfect church. There 
is no such person or thing. 1 

Newspapers are human. Some excel in some one particu¬ 
lar — say in wide coverage of local news — and fall below 
the standards on other counts. 

All we can do here is to attempt an answer to the question 
and to list some papers which through the years have com¬ 
mended themselves to discerning readers and critics as 
superior products. In the case of small-town and high school 

1 You may be interested in studying the line-up of a mythical All-American 
Newspaper Team printed in Harrington and Harrington, The Newspaper 
Club , Appendix K. Heath. 


22 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


papers, proof of their worth seems to be established by 
awards given them by press associations and interscholastic 
competitions. 


Metropolitan Dailies 


State 

City 

Newspaper 

California 

Los Angeles 

Times 

California 

Sacramento 

Bee 

California 

San Francisco 

Chronicle 

Colorado 

Denver 

Rocky Mountain News 

District of Columbia 

Washington 

Star 

Georgia 

Atlanta 

Constitution 

Illinois 

Chicago 

Daily News 

Illinois 

Chicago 

Evening Post 

Illinois 

Chicago 

Tribune 

Indiana 

Indianapolis 

News 

Iowa 

Des Moines 

Tribune-Capital 

Maryland 

Baltimore 

Sun 

Massachusetts 

Boston 

Christian Science Monitor 

Massachusetts 

Boston 

Evening Transcript 

Massachusetts 

Boston 

Globe 

Massachusetts 

Springfield 

Republican 

Michigan 

Detroit 

News 

Missouri 

Kansas City 

Star 

Missouri 

St. Louis 

Globe-Democrat 

Nebraska 

Omaha 

World- Herald 

New York 

New York 

Herald-Tribune 

New York 

New York 

Times 

New York 

New York 

World 

Ohio 

Columbus 

Ohio State Journal 

Oregon 

Portland 

Oregonian 

Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia 

Evening Bulletin 

Texas 

Dallas 

News 

Wisconsin 

Milwaukee 

J ournal 


Small City Papers 

State 

City 

Newspaper 

Arkansas 

Rogers 

Democrat 

California 

Fresno 

Republican 

Connecticut 

Greenwich 

Press 

Illinois 

Elgin 

Courier 

Illinois 

Harvard 

Herald and Independent 

Iowa 

Burlington 

Hawk-Eye 

Kansas 

Atchison 

Globe 

Maine 

Houlton 

Times 




SAMPLING THE NEWSPAPER 


23 


Massachusetts 

Minnesota 

Minnesota 

Nebraska 

New York 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Wisconsin 


Plymouth 

Bemidji 

Northfield 

Geneva 

Rhinebeck 

Berea 

London 

DePere 


Old Colony Memorial 

Sentinel 

News 

Signal 

Gazette 

News 

Madison Press 
J ournal-Democrat 


High School Papers 


State 

City 

High School 

Newspaper 

Alaska 

Cordova 

Cordova 

Northern Light 

California 

Pasadena 

Pasadena 

Chronicle 

California 

Piedmont 

Piedmont 

Highlander 

Hawaii 

Honolulu 

McKinley 

Pinion 

Illinois 

Chicago 

Austin 

Austin Times 

Illinois 

Chicago 

Crane Technical 

Crane Tech Chronicle 

Illinois 

Chicago 

Englewood 

“E” Weekly 

Illinois 

Chicago 

Hyde Park 

Hyde Park Weekly 

Illinois 

Chicago 

Lake View 

Lake reView 

Illinois 

Maywcod 

Proviso Township 

Pageant 

Indiana 

Fort Wayne 

South Side 

Times 

Iowa 

Fort Dodge 

Fort Dodge 

Little Dodger 

Kansas 

Fort Scott 

Fort Scott 

Scribbler 

Minnesota 

Albert Lee 

Albert Lee 

Ah La Ha Sa 

Minnesota 

Minneapolis 

Central 

Central High News 

Minnesota 

Minneapolis 

South 

Southerner 

Missouri 

Kansas City 

Manual Training 

Manualite 

Nebraska 

Omaha 

Central 

Weekly Register 

N. Carolina 

Greensboro 

Greensboro 

High Life 

Ohio 

Cleveland 

Lincoln 

Lincoln Log 

Ohio 

Cleveland 

South 

Beacon 

Ohio 

Columbus 

South 

Optic 

Ohio 

Columbus 

North 

Polaris 

Ohio 

Columbus 

West 

Occident 

South Dakota 

Elk Point 

Elk Point 

Pointer 

Virginia 

Danville 

George Washington 

Chatterbox 

Washington 

Aberdeen 

Weatherwax 

Ocean Breeze 

Washington 

Seattle 

Roosevelt 

News 

Wisconsin 

Wausau 

Wausau 

Skyrocket 


Selection of these papers may be made by the instructor 
and arranged on racks in the school library where they may 
be consulted by students in the course of their investigations. 
Keep a Sample Book. You have now seen what diverse 


24 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


kinds of writing appear in the newspaper and have examined 
the writer’s purpose underlying each type. That you may 
study current newspaper prose still more carefully as a guide 
to the making of press copy, we suggest that you begin 
immediately to clip newspaper stories and articles for the 
making of your own sample book. 

These clippings should be assembled under subjects, 
giving date of publication, with comments and criticism 
on the margin of the page or beneath the clipping. In this 
way a student will accumulate a valuable source book of 
information on the materials and methods of journalistic 
writing. 

A little later, these printed stories may be posted within 
the book. You will enjoy reading these clippings later on. 

A student need never forget that, if he is not as yet quali¬ 
fied to write a best seller, he can write readable stuff for 
his school paper and magazine. 

The technique of gathering and shaping material for publi¬ 
cation will be discussed more fully in chapters to follow. 


CHAPTER II 


THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE IN ACTION 
The Metropolitan Daily 

City Editor and Reporters. The newspaper reporter’s day, 
like his job, begins and ends under the direction of the city 
editor. If he is an assignment man, he goes first to the 
office and there is given his orders for the day. If he is a 
department, or beat, man, he goes directly to his station, 
reporting his arrival by telephone. 

Men on assignments do general and special news reporting 
and, after obtaining their stories, often return to the office 
to write them. Beat men, however, seldom visit the local 
room. They are stationed throughout the city at strategic 
news sources, places where volume of news is certain to 
develop, such as the city hall, the federal building, the court 
house and police headquarters. Reporters on duty at these 
points are experienced men who recognize news when they 
see it and are capable of ferreting it out as well. Their 
day is spent in watching for developments, and they turn 
in all their information by telephone. Sometimes they dic¬ 
tate their stories. 

Making Other Assignments. As soon as one story is 
taken care of, the city editor turns his attention to other 
news accounts for the edition. On a wide page of his assign¬ 
ment book appear citations for stories to be covered that 
day — a convention of educators at a leading hotel, the 
arrival of a motion-picture actress, the meeting of an im¬ 
portant committee. These tips have been gathered from 
newspapers or furnished by reporters themselves. The time 
has now come to assign men to cover these events as they 

25 


26 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


unfold. Accordingly, the city editor instructs certain re¬ 
porters to gather the facts relating to each happening. 

Other Cogs in the Machine. This brief description of 
the city room of a metropolitan newspaper must necessarily 
omit detailed discussion of other jobs held by men in the 
editorial department. In a private office sits the editor-in- 
chief (sometimes the owner of the paper), and associated 
with him as executives are the managing editor; telegraph 
editor; city editor and his corps of reporters and copy 
readers; sports editor and assistants; society editor; head 
photographer; dramatic critic; book reviewer; editorial 
writers. Names of the various posts carry a hint of the 
work done by each. 

The news staff has a twin brother, the business staff, which 
does its work with equal efficiency and dispatch. At the 
head of this organization is the business manager. Under 
him are the advertising manager and solicitors; next the 
circulation manager and assistants; the superintendent of 
the mechanical department, with its force of linotype opera¬ 
tors, stereotypers, proofreaders and pressmen. 

Here, then, we have an intricate machine made up of 
different parts^ but all working together smoothly to bring 
about a definite result, the publication and sale of a daily 
newspaper. 1 

The School Newspaper 

The Work of the Editor. The same organization, through 
delegated units, found in the conduct of the metropolitan 
newspaper may be successfully introduced into the making 
of the school newspaper. Let us see how it works out in 
practice. 

For many years the position of editor-in-chief has been 
awarded to a senior who had proved a skillful news gatherer 
— a good student, a tireless, careful worker. He was ex- 

1 Now is a good time to learn the meanings of some of the terms used in 
newspaper shops. You will find these trade expressions conveniently classi¬ 
fied in Part II. 


THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE IN ACTION 


27 


pected to direct members of his news staff, produce ringing 
editorials, plan news policies, supervise makeup, keep the 
newspaper vigilant and enterprising. The welfare of the 
entire school rested upon his shoulders. 

Since so many traits are not often combined in one person, 
an editorial board is now considered an improvement by 
many advisers closely associated with the conduct of the 
newspaper. In some schools the work of making assignments, 
checking up on reporters, and making up the paper rests upon 
a managing editor, so that the duties of the editor-in-chief 
on the school paper have become chiefly supervisory, a wise 
change. 

Choosing the Editor. No one plan for choosing the editor 
and organizing the staff can be recommended for all high 
schools, since each has peculiar problems it must solve in its 
own way. 

If the school has a class in news writing, reporters may be 
groomed to come out for important executive jobs. Candi¬ 
dates for editor may file petitions in the spring, setting forth 
recommendations, experience, and qualifications. Final 
choice rests upon the faculty supervisor — better still upon 
a board of control consisting of key members of the staff 
and an instructor. Election of editor and staff by popular 
vote is likely to result in favoritism and ill feeling, although 
the system may work satisfactorily in schools where the 
democratic plan of government is a prized tradition. 

When the system of organization is sufficiently flexible 
to permit students in news writing to enter at midyear, a 
hold-over staff can be put to work without loss of time. Un¬ 
doubtedly, a course in reporting helps to quicken interest 
and to train the best talent for the work of editor. 

In many schools, however, the paper is not the product of 
the class in news writing, since none exists, but is an extra¬ 
curricular activity in which many pupils participate. Such 
a system affords intensive, uninterrupted practice in report¬ 
ing and editing, but it requires constant supervision of copy 


28 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


and much personal guidance on the part of the teacher. 
Without specialized class instruction, journalistic talents are 
more difficult to discover and develop for the editorial post. 

The ideal arrangement, perhaps, is to organize a class in 
practical composition — call it “journalistic writing” if you 
prefer — which serves as a backbone of the organization, 
then to welcome volunteer workers from the entire school, 
with the understanding that all will be given equal chance 
to win recognition in staff appointments on the basis of 
experience, personality, and skill. Shifting from one job to 
another gives varied training and greater opportunities to all. 

Organizing the Staff. At the outset, the wise editor- 
in-chief confesses his inability to make a good paper unaided. 
He must rely on subeditors and department chiefs, and upon 
a small company of capable reporters. All places on the staff 
should be awarded solely on merit, possibly after consulta¬ 
tion with the instructor in English or journalism, who is in 
a position to be of great help to the entire staff organization 
through advice and suggestion. A boy should be placed 
in charge of a special department, not because he is a 
friend of the editor-in-chief but because of his outstanding 
ability. 

Petty jealousies among rival schools in the same territory 
often show up in their papers. This is most unfortunate, for 
many splendid ideas for improving the weekly output are lost 
in the failure of the staffs to meet on friendly ground. Estab¬ 
lishment of an interschool press association, made up of 
representatives of local and neighboring schools, increases 
staff efficiency, for many papers suffer from too close inbreed¬ 
ing. Cleveland supervisors have an advisers’ club and meet 
regularly to discuss their problems. In Seattle the staffs 
exchange cuts and news, so that each paper becomes a cross- 
section of the activities of all the city schools. 

The accompanying editorial masthead printed on page 29 
shows how the staff may be effectively organized to get the 
best results through well-directed, cooperative effort. 


THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE IN ACTION 


29 


Central bulletin 



First Class Honor Rating, N.S.P.A. Contest, 1927-28 


Frazer Hilder 

Marian Boyle 
Personals 
Sarah McElroy 


Lee Anna Embrey, Editor-in-Chief 
Associate Editors 


Sports 

Robert Ball, Editor 


Copy Reader 

Arthur Conn 


Humor 

Ruth White 


Features 

Mary- Alice Stadden, Editor 


Virginia Gummel 

Alfred Toombs 
Specks of Dust 
William Needham 

Cartoonist 

Aurelius Battaglia 


Hilliard Harper 

Wallace Luchs 
Benjamin Schwartz 


Headline Writers 


Selma Felser 


Frances Murphy 


Shirley Graff 
Therese Herman 

Sara Frankel 


Typists 

Burgess Roberts 

BUSINESS 

Board of Managers 

Otis T. Wingo, Jr., Chairman 
. 11 John M. C. B6tts 

Mason Culverwell 

Fred D. Vechery 

rSzSLT sr M H y r man ' Jr - 

C-Elwood Sag e r “well, Jr. 

^ h td h W C X k el Eth g e. Rod 











30 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Faculty Advisers 
Mildred E. Stallings, Editorial 
Katherine Summy, Art 
Rebecca E. Shanley, Business 


Published weekly by the students of Central High School to express 
the unbiased opinion of the student body, to establish high standards of 
conduct, scholarship, and sportsmanship, to encourage greater interest and 
participation in all school activities, and to promote stronger cooperation 
between the students and the administration. 


Rates: $1.25 a year or $1.00 if purchased with the school monthly 
magazine, The Review. Copies, 5c. 


If the editor finds some of the staff members lazy and 
unreliable, he should drop their names from the masthead 
printed on the editorial page and insert other names. It 
should be an honor to be listed on the staff. No printed 
recognition or class credit should be given reporters unless 
they have done the work assigned. Severe penalties should 
also be levied upon reporters persistently inaccurate. Pub¬ 
lication of the names of these erring news writers is usually 
effective. Printed corrections of mistakes should be a fixed 
policy of the paper. 

Plan in Operation. Perhaps detailed explanation of how 
the editorial staff is organized and operated in a represent¬ 
ative high school — in this case one located in Fort Dodge 
— may prove helpful. Miss Mary Cruikshank, one of the 
faculty advisers for the Little Dodger , writes as follows: 

For the past four years the staff members have been chosen by 
the advisers at the end of the year by a system of applications and 
try-outs. A tentative staff is selected, which publishes the last issue 
of the year. If any one is found who “under fire” does not prove 
to be competent, he is removed, and some one else tried out. Thus 
there is a staff ready to begin at the beginning of the next year. 

During the entire year any editor or reporter may be dropped 
for lack of interest or inefficient work and his place filled by a more 
competent worker from the waiting list. We try to rid the staff 
of “dead lumber” as soon as possible. 

A one-semester course in journalism is given in the first half of 







THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE IN ACTION 


31 


the junior year. It aims primarily to be a course in motivated 
English and is not a requirement for membership on the staff. 
The semimonthly publication is extracurricular, and no provision 
for meetings is made in the schedule. A regular meeting is held 
after school the day the paper is issued, at which the paper is dis¬ 
cussed, some point of criticism is brought out, and assignments 
are planned for the next issue. The one department editor assigns, 
gathers, or writes the editorial page. The executive staff composed 
of the editor-in-chief, associates, business manager, and faculty 
advisers plan the unusual features and changes in makeup and spe¬ 
cial issues. 

A Representative Paper. A paper regarded as the ex¬ 
clusive product of the upperclassmen or a special group gains 
no general popularity and little support. It must represent 
the entire student body. Beats must be faithfully covered, 
hidden sources of news uncovered, and various devices em¬ 
ployed to accomplish the desired end, a representative paper. 
All pupils, through home-room reporters, should be en¬ 
couraged to furnish tips for stories or to write items them¬ 
selves, giving them to a reporter or putting them in a box 
for contributions. Some home or registration rooms have 
cub clubs, little volunteer groups writing news in their own 
way. These items can then be edited by the board. This 
recognition fosters interest in writing and feeds an oncoming 
class in journalism. Quite incidentally, wide representation 
increases circulation. 

If a senior and junior high school are housed in the same 
or in neighboring buildings, a page or half-page of the senior 
publication should be devoted to the junior school, if only 
one paper is supported. 

Starting the Machinery. It is assumed throughout this 
discussion that the school newspaper is issued once a week. 
Few schools can afford to publish a paper oftener, and a 
monthly literary publication, profusely illustrated, scarcely 
possesses live news appeal. The school annual, published 
at the end of the year, performs an historical and literary 
function more acceptably. Publication of news is really the 


32 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


one reason for having a school newspaper, although other in¬ 
teresting material — short stories, verse, book reviews, 
themes, class exercises — may also be used with profit in its 
columns. 

Thursday would seem best adapted as publication day. 
Thursday is a convenient turnstile in the week’s calendar. 
Of course, this means that news must be gathered on Monday, 
Tuesday, and Wednesday, as a part of laboratory duties 
in connection with a journalistic course, or as distinct from 
school routine. In the latter instance afternoon hours from 
4 to 5:30 o’clock have obvious advantages. The makeup 
of the various pages of the paper may be reserved for Wednes¬ 
day night. 

Making assignments to reporters is the first duty of editors 
on the copy desk. After the stories are written and handed 
in, these deskmen edit them for publication. The instructor, 
acting as head copy reader, may be present at the hour set 
to give advice on knotty points. 

The use of the assignment sheet is illustrated on the fol¬ 
lowing page. 

Special articles, not especially newsy, may be prepared 
the previous Friday or Saturday, so as to reserve the first 
days of the week for live news. Stale news — Friday, 
Saturday, Sunday’s happenings — does not deserve so much 
detail as fresher events. It can be conveniently arrayed in 
the inside pages. 

The schedule of work in laboratory periods, in operation at 
the Manual Training High School, Kansas City, Missouri, is 
worthy of duplication. It follows: 

Thursday. — Copy on editorials, exchanges, and special features 
handed in and edited. Begin inside copy dummy. Read hold¬ 
over proofs; tentative advertising dummy. 

Friday. Assembly report, hold-over school news, and news from 
other schools handed in and edited. Thursday’s proof read. 
Monday. School news, especially sports and societies, handed in 
and edited. Friday’s proof read. Begin outside copy dummy 
and inside dummy proof. Revise advertisement dummy. 


THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE IN ACTION 


33 


Tuesday. — School and city copy handed in and edited. Makeup 
on pages 2 and 3 begun. Proofs on Monday’s copy read. Proof 
dummy of pages 1 and 4 begun. Last day for advertising copy. 

Wednesday. — Go to press on pages 2 and 3. Belated outside copy, 
not to exceed fifteen inches, may be brought in. Proof read. 
Makeup on pages 1 and 4 begun. (Page proofs must be read by 
editor and instructor later in the day, usually about 2 or 3 
o’clock; late news inserted by this method.) 

Outside pages printed Thursday morning in print shop and 
distributed at fourth period (10:30 a.m.). 


Assignment Blank. The first ally of the news editor in 
delegating work to the reporters is the assignment blank, as 
we have noted previously in our description of the city 
editor’s functions and the news machine. Here is an ex¬ 
hibit of such a blank after the news editor has made his 
assignments: 

NEWS ASSIGNMENTS 


For Issue of Thursday.. 
Check Story and Source 

See Janitor Jones (What is the matter with 
the furnace?) 

See Tom Dorgan (When are pictures coming 
for Assembly Room?) 

Domestic Science Notes 

Manual Training Notes 

Clintonian Society meeting (Last Friday) 
Junior Class Frolic (Last Saturday night) 
Clippings from exchanges 

New furniture for study room 
Alumni items 

Football Practice Notes (Monday-Tuesday) 
Class Personals 

Freshman 

Sophomore 

Junior 

Senior 

Principal’s office (new automobile?) 
Teachers (Ask Miss Johnson about her 
guest.) 


Reporter 

Dick Simpson 

Ralph Hindman 
Gertrude Simpson 
and assistants 
George Finney 
and assistants 
Hazel George 
Edith Boling 
Ethel Ford and 
assistants 
Ed Brown 
Sam Higgins and 
assistants 
Bob Burton 

Mabel Rich 
George Duncan 
Ethel Crawford 
Floyd Poston 
Tom Scanlon 

Merle Johnson 





34 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


NEWS ASSIGNMENTS — Continued 


Check Story and Source 

Plans for Freshman Masquerade (Friday) 
What is doing in debate? (Has date been 

set?) 

Girls’ basketball practice (Monday-Tues- 
day) 

Gymnasium (When are new sweaters com¬ 
ing?) 

Red Arnet’s automobile 
Personal items 


Reporter 
Paul Powell 

Ed Brown 

Gladys Rombo 

Ralph Hindman 
Bob Burton 
Everybody 


The assignment sheet for the next paper must be posted 
twenty-four hours after the current issue, if the paper is a 
weekly publication. These large sheets can be blocked out 
by the class in mechanical drawing and kept ready for use. 

The staff or class meeting for the discussion of the latest 
issue should consider the impending news possibilities. What 
stories are to be followed up? What precedes must be writ¬ 
ten, what space allotted them? Does the calendar reveal 
holidays, birthdays, anniversaries worthy of comment? Are 
vacations looming on the horizon or report cards, examina¬ 
tions, and honor rolls? Does the future book kept by the 
editor show that certain stories must run in the next issue? 
Has any absolutely unexpected news broken? Does the 
sports editor see his page filled? What routine news, 
neglected or imperfectly done, must be refurbished in new 
colors? Can the regular features be depended upon? Are 
original stories or hunches lurking in active minds? 

With all of these sources the various editors must reckon. 
After the discussion the assignment editor makes out his 
sheet and posts it. He also keeps a book in which he lists 
stories for future reference under the proper dates. The 
clippings, telling about these coming events, are put in en¬ 
velopes and dated so that the reporter will have the pre¬ 
viously published facts before him when he starts out to 
get new and additional material. Every assignment may 
not turn out as planned, but if no lapses occurred, no emer¬ 
gency sense could be developed. 




THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE IN ACTION 


35 


Organizing News Beats. Specific assignments are not the 
only dragnets of news. Reporters must also be sent out on 
definite beats and runs, the traversing of which unearths 
many stories previously unknown to the news editor and to 
themselves. It is only as reporters visit certain offices, rooms, 



— Courtesy “Quill and Scroll” 

News Stories in the Making 
A news-writing class in action grouped around the horseshoe table. 


and teachers every few days, asking questions as they go, 
that much routine news is gathered. 

These duties should never be neglected, as the great bulk 
of news worth while comes by personal solicitation on beats 
and runs. The paper should never go to press with a beat 
uncovered. Most of the small items are garnered from offi¬ 
cials, clerks, shopkeepers, and other persons in a position to 
know current happenings, by reporters who have called upon 
them in the course of the day’s work. 







36 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Making the Most of Beats. A list of beats, in force for a 
semester, should be posted in the journalism room. The 
managing editor or adviser should assign students to beats, 
but their natural tastes and aptitudes ought to be considered 
in the assignment. This somewhat arbitrary method brings 
better results than permitting the individuals to choose 
their own beats. Students with little natural taste for writ¬ 
ing, and no sparkle, may be accurate and painstaking. These 
do well on routine news, and to them should be entrusted 
this kind of work. The principaPs office and stories relating 
to schedules, clerical records, attendance, scholarship ratings, 
and honor rolls demand careful reporting. 

The number of persons to a beat depends upon the size 
of the school and on the class or group putting out the paper. 
If a boy or girl finds no news on his beat, he should not be 
^ensured but sent back with suggestions for a new line of 
inquiry. A girl once came to the desk editor with this 
report: “The home economics teacher, Miss Evans, says 
there’s no news. The class in foods is studying dietetics. 
That’s all.” 

Upon investigation of this dull recital, the following facts 
were uncovered. The girls in the dietetics class were ex¬ 
perimenting with their little brothers, sisters, or neighbors’ 
children and observing the effect of certain selected food 
upon their growth and weight. A graph was kept to record 
the weight increase according to diet. In this way the pupils 
aim to determine by the amount of calories in the babies’ 
foods their loss or gain in weight. A picture of two girls 
feeding their small sisters and brothers was taken by the 
city paper, and the story provoked discussion and interest. 

The knack of asking questions must be cultivated, and 
beginners cannot be condemned for not having it. Intelli¬ 
gent curiosity is a part of the news writer’s equipment, 
but often it must be stimulated by the teacher, or in 
later years by a managing editor, who may be none too 
amiable. 


Combination Assignment and Copy-Reading Sheet 

Made by Assignment Editor or Managing Editor 

Explanation: (1) When reporter sees assignment, he puts initials under his name. (2) When story is handed in and 
approved by copy or news editor, that editor writes the word in across the assignment sheet. (3) The number of head re¬ 
fers to numbers on head style sheet. 


THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE IN ACTION 


37 








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ASSIGNMENTS ISSUE NO. 5 (Exact Date) 























































38 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Equipping the Office. The newspaper headquarters in the 
school should be arranged as nearly as possible like the local 
room of a big newspaper. Generally an unused room 
within the school building can be utilized, especially if work 
on the paper is recognized as laboratory credit by the authori¬ 
ties. The new high schools have regular quarters for the 
classes in journalism. 

One of the first requisites is a large table for reading 
copy. This table may be of the ordinary sort, or especially 
built in the form of a half-circle, which allows the chief 
copy reader to sit in the hub, with his assistants in easy reach 
around him. Such a table, used in many newspaper offices, 
may be made by boys in the manual training workshop. 
Note specifications on the opposite page. 

Upon or near this copy table may be placed: (1) a double¬ 
deck wire basket for unedited and edited copy; (2) a tele¬ 
phone and a telephone book; (3) a book of synonyms; (4) a 
paste pot and brush; (5) a pair of shears; (6) a city direc¬ 
tory; (7) an unabridged dictionary; (8) a pencil sharpener; 
(9) a copy of Who's Who in America; (10) a complete file 
of your own paper. No copy should be sent to the printer 
without “going through” the copy desk. 

Typewriters are almost indispensable in the newspaper 
office. They enable reporters to produce clean copy and 
prevent errors due to illegible scrawls. A typewriter is also 
invaluable in building headlines, and gives graphic demon¬ 
stration of how the caption will look in type. If possible the 
office force should supply itself with several machines, and 
encourage production of typewritten copy at home. A few 
second-hand machines may be rented for a small sum. 
(One office got a brand-new machine in exchange for ad¬ 
vertising.) The typewriter is a necessary item in a reporter’s 
equipment; its dexterous use is insisted upon by schools of 
journalism. Every reporter should learn to operate a ma¬ 
chine, if with only one finger. 

A bulletin board is another useful device in the local room. 


THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE IN ACTION 


39 





Detail of 
Corner Joint. 

Specifications for Making Copy Table for the News Room 




























































40 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Here may be posted newspaper clippings, announcements 
to the staff, a calendar, a current issue of the paper with 
penciled comments on specific stories by the teacher or 
editor, and many other things of interest. 

A map, pictures of distinguished journalists, reproductions 
of great newspapers, a clock, two or three wastepaper bas¬ 
kets, and framed original cartoons likewise tend to repro¬ 
duce the atmosphere of a local room, surcharged with a 
bracing spirit of work and cooperation. 

Newspapers on File. No school publication can become 
thoroughly professional unless built on approved models. 
Newspapers from near and far will be of material aid to the 
staff in discovering and applying methods of news writing, 
headline building, and makeup, as practiced by the big 
brothers of the craft. 

A few well-chosen metropolitan dailies, representing pre¬ 
vailing types of journalism, and arranged in racks alongside 
the home papers, will be found exceedingly useful. These 
papers should be studied critically; they constitute a real 
book of knowledge. The school authorities will probably be 
willing to bear some of the expense of subscribing for them. 

The Paper’s Program. The relationship of the paper to 
the larger interests of the school is an intimate one. Not 
only must it gather and print all the school news, but it 
must also assume many other obligations. The range of its 
duties may be briefly summarized as follows: (1) to unify 
school spirit; (2) to form and influence student thought; 
(3) to encourage personal achievement and worthy school 
enterprises; (4) to build up respect for constituted authority; 
(5) to foster clean sportsmanship and the best school tradi¬ 
tions; (6) to serve as a medium for the expression of student 
opinion; (7) to acquaint parents with the progress of the 
school; (8) to promote good scholarship; (9) to work con¬ 
stantly for the welfare of the school and the community; 
(10) to give helpful publicity and to print general information 
and special regulations. 


THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE IN ACTION 


41 



Specifications for Making Newspaper Rack 
and Newspaper Holder 
































42 WRITING FOR PRINT 

Publication of a school paper may result in many by¬ 
products of lasting benefit to those concerned. The work 
of English composition, once a bugbear, perhaps, now be¬ 
comes a fascinating art. The reporter begins to appreciate 
the value of his story, because it is printed in the school 
paper. He knows the pleasure of seeing his stuff in print; 


— Courtesy Barnhardt Brothers and Spindler, Chicago 

Getting Out a Real Newspaper 

Students in the news-writing and printing classes in the Dallas, Texas, 
schools are here shown preparing copy and setting type for a small four- 
page newspaper issued at a recent convention of the National Education 
Association. 

he is given an incentive and is spurred on by the joy of the 
builder. Instead of talking to a small group of “pals,” he 
now speaks into the megaphone of a newspaper — and the 
entire school listens. 

Improving the Paper. The indifferent quality of many 
school papers, when contrasted with professional products, 
is sometimes laid to lack of funds. The better explanation 






THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE IN ACTION 


43 


is that reporters and editors lack sufficient knowledge to 
handle the job well. Often they receive little advice and 
supervision and, accordingly, keep repeating the same blun¬ 
ders and mistakes. 

One way to insure constant improvement in news writing, 
makeup, and editorial attack is to court unsparing criticism 
and to practice unceasingly. A staff meeting permits every 
one to make comment about the paper just off the press. 
If a city editor from the local newspaper office is invited 
to speak on the merits and demerits of the week’s product, 
many useful hints may be obtained. 

The best incentive to improve the paper — from news¬ 
writing to business management — comes from participating 
in conferences of scholastic press associations. Many meet 
regularly at colleges and universities under the auspices 
of departments of journalism. Delegates from the school 
may be sent to represent the editorial and business depart¬ 
ments, and the paper itself entered in competitions with 
others of its own class. In years past, silver cups and elabo¬ 
rate prize awards have been given winning and pace-making 
sheets, but no committee of judges can make awards that 
meet with universal approval. Jealousy, bickering, and hot 
arguments sprang up among claimants for honors, so that 
many sponsors have adopted a new plan of awarding a 
certificate of distinguished rating when the paper fulfills 
major requirements for excellence. The chief value of high 
school press meetings, however, is the opportunity offered 
delegates to mull over problems common to their publica¬ 
tions, to hear experts discuss various phases of newspaper 
making, and thus get perspective on one’s own work. 


CHAPTER III 


NEWS ITEMS FOR THE SCHOOL PAPER 

A Definition of News. We are now ready to talk about 
news, and how to find and write it for print. Your examina¬ 
tion of stories printed by the local daily has probably led 
you to the conclusion that news is the timely record of some 
significant happening in which people of your community 
are interested. The more people likely to be interested, 
the more value placed on the story by a city editor, who, 
accordingly, puts it on the front page and gives it appro¬ 
priate headline display. 

News, therefore, must be sharply differentiated from 
rumor, casual talk, uneventful personal experience. It must 
consist of information verified as true. It must be fresh. 
It must be unusual. Chronicling of the trivial details of a 
day’s excursion into the country does not deserve space in a 
newspaper. But if one of the party finds a huge puffball 
mushroom — the largest ever seen in the county — that 
fact is worth recording in a news story. 

Routine and Spot News. As we have seen, news may be 
classified in two ways: routine and spot. The first is found 
in certain designated quarters, say the library, laboratories, 
school superintendent’s office, manual training shops. A 
reporter makes his rounds of these specified places, asks 
questions of those in authority, and turns in items that 
represent what he has learned. A good example of routine 
news is the announcement of what happened at the meet¬ 
ing of some well-known organization. The covering of clubs 
and class affairs will be discussed in detail in a subsequent 
chapter. Many of the most interesting stories of the day find 
their roots in territory visited regularly by news gatherers. 

44 


NEWS ITEMS 


45 


Spot news, on the other hand, does not advertise its 
coming; in fact, it breaks through the crust of the usual 
in most unexpected fashion and often with disastrous con¬ 
sequences. Witness a burglary, a fire, the collapse of a 
grandstand at a track meet. 

Ingredients of News. You will find it profitable to try 
unraveling the strands that enter into the making of any 
news incident. Seldom will you discover that any one 
element guarantees reader-interest; generally many elements 
combine to ensnare the roving attention of human beings. 

In a recent book entitled Why News Is News, Charles 
R. Corbin (Ronald) attempts an analysis of some of the 
most important ingredients found in news. 1 He speaks of 
our immediate response to any item that touches upon our¬ 
selves and our friends, upon our town and neighborhood. 
He mentions as sure-fire news appeals such matters as 
struggle for life, combat and competition, cost of living, 
elemental forces of nature, sex, business, the weather, mys¬ 
tery, amusements, prominent persons, children, religion, 
animals, love and romance, success and achievement, the 
unusual and exceptional. These subjects do not attract 
us in equal degree, but they are rallying calls to most of us 
at some stage of our development into men and women. 
They belong in the bundle of our instincts and feelings as 
expressed in human endeavor. 

Perhaps the following story may show clearly how some of 
these major interests are intertwined in one short narrative. 
You may pick out the news values for yourselves: 

Parking his machine in N. Water St., just west of the city hall, 
Patrolman Rex Binns, 21 E. First Ave., hurried into the city hall 
to obtain his pay late Friday afternoon. He was gone less than 
10 minutes. 

When he emerged from the building he found that his car was 

i Read also Bleyer, W. G., Newspaper Writing and Editing , Chap. II, 
“News and News Values” (Houghton Mifflin); Bastian, George, Editing 
the Day's News, Chap. II, ‘‘An Analysis of News” (Macmillan). 


4G 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


nowhere in sight. Hurriedly he scanned the line of parked cars 
and decided that something was wrong. It was. 

A man approached Binns and asked him if his car had been 
parked near the river railing and if it had been a red sedan. Binns 
answered both questions in the affirmative. 

“ You’ll find it parked in the river,” observed Binns’ informant, 
and pointed a directing finger. Binns let his gaze follow in the 
direction indicated. There was approximately two feet of the top 
of his car visible above the water line. 

When the car had been pulled from the river the left rear fender 
was found to be badly smashed. Apparently a passing motorist 
had struck the parked car and it had pursued its way down the 
concrete embankment. 

Despite the loss, Binns was jubilant over the fact that his two 
children, who had requested their father to bring them along for 
the ride, had not been permitted to accompany him. 

— Ohio State Journal , Columbus 

The World We Live In. We live in a concrete, moving, 
fascinating world, alive with people constantly in action. 
To the sum of our own experiences, we add those of our 
friends, so that the cycle of our days swings in an orbit 
of human relationships. We cannot escape them if we would. 
Eyes, ears, feet, hands, nose, and brain take note of every 
passing event; each adds to the treasure house of our knowl¬ 
edge. We grow in wisdom as we learn more about the world, 
its inhabitants, and its activities. 

This everyday ore of events waits to be minted into words 
and sentences. The small, even trivial, happenings involving 
our friends, our parents, our school, our town become the 
stuff of our conversation and our letters; when they appear 
in print, they become news. And news is to be the stuff 
of our work in composition. 

School Life Is Real Life. Not all news stories appearing in 
city dailies can be duplicated in subject matter upon the 
school campus or within the borders of the home town. 
The young writer, placed within a circle limited to class¬ 
room and social activities, club meetings, athletic contests, 
and the rather slight experiences of comrades, will not be 


NEWS ITEMS 


47 


called upon to record many momentous events. But he. 
should never forget the fact that school life is real life and 
that he is in the thick of it. 

School life exhibits the quality of competition in terms 
of the football field and debating platform. Achievement 
lurks in the honor rolls; loyalty in a mass meeting; personal 
relationships in classroom, clubs, and off-the-campus or¬ 
ganizations. Almost every ingredient of a real news story 
contained in a metropolitan newspaper exists in lesser de¬ 
gree within the columns of that four-page newspaper written 
and edited by boys and girls. 

Experiments Close at Hand. A young reporter need not 
go far afield to find material. Robinson Crusoe found foot¬ 
prints on a desert island. News thrives everywhere, if the 
reporter will but look for it. He has only to put his native 
curiosity to work. The usual often takes us unawares and 
flaps its wings in our faces; even then some people never 
really hear and see anything. 

Suppose we test the matter in the classroom. Where do 
the following trails lead: 

1. What is the meaning of the geometric colored designs hang¬ 
ing in Mr. Brown’s mathematics room, and of the drawings and 
models in the history room? 

2. Is it true that a cooking class is to be organized for the boys? 

3. Who is responsible for the shrubs and plants being set out 
around the buildings? The Board of Education said it, could not 
bear the expense. 

4. What are the cooking classes planning to do with all their 
canned fruit and jellies? 

5. Why is the instructor in art packing and crating the best 
posters made in the arts-advertising course? 

6. Why are the Girl Reserves collecting all the used textbooks? 
Why are they wearing red or white tissue paper roses? 

7. Where did the librarian get those large travel posters on 
display in the library? What is on the bulletin board there this 
week? 

8. Why is the boy in the front seat wearing a bandage on his 
arm? 


48 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


9. Who was the stranger in the domestic science kitchens this 
morning? 

10. Who was the woman who visited the mathematics class 
yesterday? 

11. Why is the janitor cleaning the gymnasium so carefully? 

12. Why is that delivery truck standing at the school door? 

13. Why does it take so long to be served at lunch? 

14. Why is the water in the swimming pool so low, and changed 
but once a week? 

15. When will the dramatic club give its play? 

16. Where are the girls going on their hike? 

17. Why are some of the boys wearing new sweaters? 

18. Who are the prize winners in the contest sponsored by the 
Camera Club? 

19. What musical novelties will be presented by the girls in their 
coming concert? 

20. What percentage of students attained 100 per cent in the 
first test of the semester? 

21. What local students will be represented at the interscholastic 
indoor golf tournament? 

22. How many kinds of student automobiles are parked near the 
school building? 

23. When will Vocational Week be held this year, and what 
speakers have been secured? 

24. What suggestions for a name have been offered for the newly 
organized swimming club, and how many students have joined it? 

Back of every nicely finished item is the reporter’s curi¬ 
osity. He must face every event with a question before he 
begins to write. He must be a searcher, a knocker at many 
doors, for unless he knows intimately he cannot write in¬ 
telligently. 

Rudyard Kipling, a masterful reporter and story-teller, 
sums up in a verse the whole art of news gathering, a verse 
so pertinent that it should become the constant guide of 
every boy and girl eager to write for print. It runs: 

I keep six honest serving-men; 

They taught me all I know; 

Their names are What? and Why? and When? 

And How? and Where? and Who? 


NEWS ITEMS 


49 


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50 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Questions and Answers. Apt answers to questions form 
the framework of an excellent column of chance observations 
compiled by the staff and published regularly by the “E” 
Weekly, of Englewood High School, Chicago. A sample: 



That the frieze above the main entrance is an 

exact replica of the one on the Parthenon? It was 
done by Lorado Taft, America’s foremost sculp¬ 
tor, and bought by the former Arts club at the 
instigation of Miss Sarah J. Evans, sponsor. 

That the stained glass window at the head of 
the stairs of the main entrance was given to 
Englewood by the February-June classes of ’24, 
in memory of William W. Carter, principal of 
Englewood from 1872-1886? 

That the pipe organ in the auditorium was the 
first one to be installed in a Chicago high school? 
Through the efforts of Principal J. E. Arm¬ 
strong and the help of students and the Engle¬ 
wood Women’s club it was purchased in 1923. 

That the portrait of Principal James E. Arm¬ 
strong in the auditorium lobby was given to 
Englewood by the February class of ’21? 

That the students of Englewood presented the 
school with a bronze tablet in memory of the 
boys who died in the World War? 

That the fountain in the lobby of the audi¬ 
torium was installed by the pupils of Englewood 
in memory of Miss Abbie Wentworth, teacher of 
art? 

That Mr. and Mrs. James P. McManus (class 
of T3) presented Englewood with a bronze bust 
of Colonel Charles Lindbergh at the graduation 
exercises held last June? 


Filling Out the Item. Amazing neglect of live news is 
one of the besetting sins of the inexperienced reporter. Often 
he assumes off-hand that the reader knows all about the 
incident to be described, and omits necessary details; often he 
is too timid to ask questions, preferring to mask meager infor¬ 
mation in vague generalities; sometimes he is merely slipshod 
and indifferent. All of these shortcomings have their effect 
upon the item. It cannot rise higher than its source. 

One has but to examine a number of high school papers 
to find these faults in glaring array. 




NEWS ITEMS 


51 


One item reads: 

I Florence Ross is preparing to get married. I 
I Her new home is almost completed. 

Besides crudity of expression, this item has other de¬ 
ficiencies. What is Florence’s class ? 1 What is her home 
address? Who is her fiance? Where is her new home? 
What is the date of her wedding? If the writer was unable 
to get definite answers to these inquiries, the item should not 
have been printed; it is based on neighborhood gossip, 
which, of course, has no rightful place in a newspaper. Every 
rumor should be verified before publication. 

Another hazy item reads: 

Mr. Perry, our engineer, has returned from 
Cincinnati and hopes to resume his duties at an 
early date. 

Who is Mr. Perry? What are his initials? Are you sure 
he does not spell his name P-a-r-r-y? What kind of engineer 
is he? Where does he work? Why did he go to Cincinnati? 
Whom did he visit there? The item says hopes to resume his 
duties at an early date. Why hopesf What has happened to 
him? What does he say about his visit, if visit it was? 

A fusillade of such questions, fired by a news hunter, 
would have resulted in the following newsy paragraphs: 

PERRY, FURNACE EXPERT, 

HAS CATARACT REMOVED 

Alfred H. Perry, who feeds the furnaces at 
Murphysboro High School, returned Tuesday 
from Cincinnati, his former home. While there 
he underwent an operation for the removal of a 
cataract on his right eye, and was in St. Luke’s 
hospital for two weeks. 

“I surely am glad to be back at school again 
and able to see you all so plainly,” remarked 
Mr. Perry Wednesday. He hopes to take up 
his regular work Monday. During his absence 
the furnaces have been attended by his son, 

George B. Perry, a junior. 

1 If a senior high school, the class numeral, 12 B or 10 A, senior, sopho¬ 
more, or whatever terms are used in a particular school; if a junior high, 
the grades 7 B, 8 B, 9 B should be definitely stated. 






52 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Is this not an improvement? Does it not attract more 
readers? Are there not two persons involved in the com¬ 
plete story instead of one? Let the student apply the same 
tests to the hazy and ill-assorted news items scribbled in 
his notebook. 

Variety in News Approach. Simply because an item con¬ 
cerns a single individual is no reason to assume that it must 
begin with a name. Such a practice results in deadly monot¬ 
ony and neglects a chance to emphasize news features quite 
as interesting as the mention of the person at the outset. 
Sometimes a quotation will help make a more interesting 
news approach; sometimes a striking novelty. Here is a 
good sample of a personal item that is different: 

Eight hours a day for sixty days, Alvin Morse, 

De Paul university law student and football 
star, has swung a heavy sledge hammer, wielded 
a pick, and shoveled his way through rock and 
clay, as a day laborer in the city sewer depart¬ 
ment. 

As a summer training course for college 
athletes, he says, manual labor has all the daily 
dozens and ordinary setting-up exercises beaten 
a city block. 

Morse will play guard on Capt. John Re- 
richa’s De Paul varsity football team this fall. 


The Virtue of Omission. The art of knowing what to 
leave out is as important as knowing what to include. Many 
news items miss fire not because they lack complete informa¬ 
tion but rather because they are too closely packed with 
details. The reporter, burdened with sheaves of facts, has 
not been able to separate the wheat from the chaff. As a 
result the item becomes incoherent; the main thought has 
been lost in a jumble of explanations. It sacrifices movement 
and directness for wordiness. 

For example, read this badly organized paragraph: 

T. A. Johnson, Miss Charlotte Rochester, 

Miss Maude Davis, Mr. John Bailey, and Miss 
Alma Doyle, all teachers of domestic art and 
manual training at Douglas High School, were 
guests at a dinner given by Miss Anna Roydon’s 






NEWS ITEMS 


53 


cooking class as a farewell to Miss Roy don, who 
goes to Alaska to take charge in the fall of the 
domestic science dept, of the high school in Cor¬ 
dova, one of the principal cities of that far 
northern land. While touring there last summer 
she resolved to return as a teacher and made the 
application then, which resulted in her election. 

Our exchange list includes the “Northern 
Light,” published by the Cordova High School. 

This fine paper has made us acquainted with 
Miss Roydon’s future home, so we feel that she 
is going to a very thriving and interesting place. 

The class and guests presented her with a hand¬ 
some suitcase for her long journey. 1 

Terseness, indeed, should always be cultivated. Listen to 
the rhymster: 

Have you had a thought that’s happy? 

Boil it down. 

Make it short and crisp and snappy, 

Boil it down. 

When your mind its gold has minted, 

Down the page your pen has sprinted, 

If you want your effort printed, 

Boil it down. 

The Five W’s. All the questions asked by Mr. Kipling 2 — 
the five W’s — are adequately answered in every well- 
constructed personal item. Though limited in its scope a 
brevity or personal item is really a newspaper lead, or sum¬ 
marizing sentence, a device to be discussed more fully in 
another chapter. 

The well-organized personal item also illustrates the rhetor¬ 
ical law of unity, in that the reporter tells one thing about 
one person. In fact it is a striking exhibit of the union of 
three rhetorical principles, coherence , emphasis , and unity? 

1 How would you reconstruct this item? What is the most interesting 
feature, and how would you get it stated in the opening words of the first 
sentence? 

2 See page 48. 

3 To refresh your memory: Coherence may be defined as that principle 
which demands that all the elements of a sentence shall be firmly held 
together; emphasis as the principle which demands that the parts be 
properly proportioned and placed; unity as the principle which requires 
that every detail included shall aid directly to the development of the 
main thought. 




54 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Accuracy First. Accuracy is the first commandment in 
the news writer's decalogue. He may have speed; he may 
be as interesting as a novelist; but if his reports are not 
reliable, his services are valueless. One's first duty as a 
reporter is to get names, addresses, facts absolutely accurate. 

A man's name is his most prized possession. He has 
cause to be indignant when he is dubbed Postum when he 
should be greeted Poston. The misspelling of a name by a 
careless reporter is almost a personal affront. One wants 
all the news about himself and his family to be exact and 
accurate. 

The reporter should keep the golden rule of journalism in 
mind when he writes of friends and acquaintances. The 
printed name is a boomerang; if it is accurate, it hits the 
mark, the story has a wider appeal, and the readers are 
pleased. If it is not accurate, it goes wide of the mark, the 
story is discounted, the person named suffers, and the error 
is sure to return and injure the newspaper. 

Instances abound of lawsuits founded on mistakes in 
names. A man, publicly embarrassed, feels justified in 
suing a paper for confusing his name with that of a man 
bearing similar initials, who is under arrest or imprisoned. 
If names happen to be exactly the same, the address serves as 
identification. 

The reporter should never assume that he knows even the 
spelling of his neighbor's name, or his initials. Let him be 
absolutely certain. Let him write down the name as it is 
spelled to him by his informant. Your S-m-i-t-h may be 
spelled S-m-y-t-h-e. He must not guess at anything. After 
a classmate’s name should appear his class, his exact street 
number, and all the facts necessary to identify him. When¬ 
ever possible, the reporter should consult the person most 
intimately connected with the story; second-hand reports 
are always unsatisfactory. 

To repeat: news should be written simply, concisely, clearly, 
without the use of “I" or “we." The reader does not care 


NEWS ITEMS 


55 


what the writer thinks; he is interested in what he has to 
tell. The reporter should avoid expressing approval or dis¬ 
approval by the use of such adjectives as “ wonderful/’ 
“interesting,” “beautiful,” “magnificent.” 

Sometimes the item may be concerned with a topic some¬ 
what trivial. Read this sprightly “personal”: 

Floyd and Lloyd, twin-brother fraternity 
brothers at the Delta Sigma Phi house, are dis¬ 
posed to be brotherly brothers. 

Brother Lloyd, whose surname is Keepers, 
is a member of ’29 and is registered in the col¬ 
lege of agriculture. 

Brother Floyd, whose surname is Keepers, 
is a member of ’29 and is registered in the col¬ 
lege of agriculture. 

Floyd, or maybe it was Lloyd, made a date — 
a date with a girl — a date with a co-ed. 

Floyd, or maybe it was Lloyd, Keepers was 
unable to keep his date. Lloyd, or maybe it 
was Floyd, Keepers kept the date for him. 

The girl — the date — doesn’t know whether 
it was Lloyd or Floyd. Don’t tell her. 

— Daily Illini 

Many Names Widen News Appeal. Some reporters think 
that a personal item should contain but one name combined 
into a single newsy incident. As a matter of fact, the appeal 
of any item is vastly enlarged by the addition of as many 
different names as possible, especially those of neglected 
boys and girls who seldom, if ever, get into the headlines. 

How many readers will be interested, think you, in the 
following roster of names, grouped around a central idea? 

An entire football team, with one left over as a substitute, could 
be made up of twins in the freshman class of the college of liberal 
arts of Northwestern university, except for the fact one of the 
pairs is comprised of girls, it was revealed yesterday. Applications 
for admission into the freshman class of six pairs of twins have been 
approved by the committee on admissions. 

The lone girl twins in the half dozen pairs who will be on North¬ 
western’s campus this year are Goldye and Sylvia Miller, 227 
North Leamington avenue, Chicago, who were born in Indianapo¬ 
lis eighteen years ago. They attended the University of Wisconsin 
last year. 




56 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


The other twins are Frank J. and Robert E. Sorg, 18 years old, 
5412 North Lincoln street, Chicago, who were graduated from the 
Lake View high school in June; John A. and Robert E. Graf, 21, 
of 4332 North Kilbourn avenue, Chicago, graduates of the Carl 
Shurz high school; Edward P. and Robert H. Taylor, 19, Kent, 
Ohio; Abe and Harry Steinberg, 18, of Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Floyd 
and Harold Eldridge, 20, of Grand Rapids, Mich. 

— Daily Northwestern 

Adding a Quotation. Not only are we as readers concerned 
in what our friends do but also in what they say. Addition 
of these characteristic points of view not only brings pleasing 
variety to the structure of an otherwise conventional item, 
but it also serves to heighten the news interest. Some high 
school papers print a collecton of thumb-nail interviews on 
campus topics, under such labels as The Curious Cub. Others 
include a bit of direct quotation within the borders of the 
news item itself. 

A two-column italic headline, such as shown on page 49, 
displayed the foregoing variety of personal interview feature 
in fine style. 

“ Alaska’s beautiful flowers and fruit trees impressed me the 
most, I believe,” replied Virginia Ralph when interviewed in her 
home room Monday morning on her trip to Alaska, “although 
there were many other interesting and unusual sights.” Virginia 
added that even though the climate was cold it was apparently 
not too cold to breed the most beautiful dahlias she had ever seen. 

“Oh, and another thing that I enjoyed was the Sunday service 
in a quaint little home at West Hauchi. The dearest old couple 
invited every one of the boat, “Tutchi,” to have refreshments and 
participate in the entertainment. It was a delightful little home, 
and the tiny white-haired seventy-five-year-old woman, in a black 
dress and a white lace collar, served wine and cake and then played 
the organ while the entire company sang. A minister, who hap¬ 
pened to be on the boat with us, then gave an impressive service 
in the dim candle light.” 

Virginia paused here for breath, and then pushing her dark, 
curly hair from her forehead, she continued, “It doesn’t get dark 
there until about 10:30; you see, the sun sets at night. 

“No, we didn’t see any Eskimos. We didn’t go that far north. 




NEWS ITEMS 


57 


However there weren’t many white people in Skagway; most of 
them were Indians and half-breeds. We did see a lot of Hindoos, 
but that was in Vancouver, Canada, and everybody seems more 
interested in Alaska. 

“Oh, yes, there were other things, totem poles, funny looking 
street cars, and curio shops, but you really can’t tell about every¬ 
thing; it would take all night. Then we were there only a month, 
from July 30 till the latter part of August; so we didn’t see every¬ 
thing we might have. 

r- “It is certainly a beautiful country, all right,” Virginia smiled, 
“but I like it here just as well,” and the interview ended. 

— Weekly Register , Central High School, Omaha 

Test of a Good Reporter. Framing most of the items 
already discussed has not presented many difficulties. The 
facts are easily obtainable and wait the coming of any re¬ 
porter who really sees and hears. 

All news, however, is not of this pictorial variety. Many 
items are made up of undramatic, abstract features that 
convey information acquired through investigation and 
reading. Changes in the curriculum, statistics on student 
attendance, adoption of rules and regulations, plans for a 
self-government association, minutes of a board meeting, 
while not so thrilling as the story of some contest, constitute 
important news and should be carefully handled. 

No better training in accuracy can be found than in com¬ 
puting an honor roll. Such statistics as the percentage of 
girls over boys, the home room with the largest number 
on the roll, the grade schools in which students were pre¬ 
pared, the courses for which the highest marks are awarded 
offer opportunity for individual treatment. A list of pupils 
awarded all top marks is always a stimulus. 

Attendance reports also call for painstaking investigation. 
Any assignment involving records and office reports requires 
exactness, clearness, and a touch of originality used as bait 
to attract attention. In fact, another test of a good reporter 
is his willingness to dig into a dull subject and to compile 
the results invitingly. 


58 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


The accompanying account of the thrift champions at 
South High School, Minneapolis, shows investigation; and 
excellent reporting is the result. This subject of thrift 
treated in all school papers offers little chance for originality, 
but many bits of information given in this story make it 
readable and convincing. 

First place was given to Room 106 for having 
the highest weekly average of 92.44 per cent in 
the banking contest held from March 7 to 
May 9. The annex was awarded second place 
with a weekly average of 91.88 per cent. Certif¬ 
icates will be presented to these rooms by the 
Farmers and Mechanics bank. 

Members of the Thrift club visited the 
Farmers and Mechanics bank, Thursday, 

May 3. Mrs. Ella Wallace, head of the home 
service department, accompanied the members 
through the bank. She spoke on the growth of 
the schools savings system. In the 13 schools 
which participate in banking today, there are 
over 87,394 accounts in the school savings de¬ 
partment, and over $800,000 is deposited 
weekly. 

The members inspected the vaults. A demon¬ 
stration to show how the doors to the vaults 
were opened and closed was given. They visited 
the School Savings Department, where Miss 
Catherine Levering gave a short informal talk. 

Doing the Small Task Well. If the young reporter mas¬ 
ters the fundamentals of news writing in recording simple 
news items, he will find the road made easier to the more 
complex types of stories. Let him remember that the short 
sentence and the short paragraph make for force and 
clarity and that these short sentences will be doubly effective 
if they bristle with concrete, familiar words. 

Preparation of Manuscript. Whether the story be long 
or short, it is known as “copy,” a term for all manuscript 
intended for the printer. 

Rules for the preparation of copy for the printer may be 
conveniently summed up as follows: 

1. Use a typewriter. Write on one side of the sheet only, and 
double space all copy to provide room for corrections and subheads. 




NEWS ITEMS 




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60 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


2. Put your name and title or “slug” of story in upper left- 
hand corner of first page and on each page thereafter put page num¬ 
ber and “slug.” 

3. Begin your story about the middle of the first page. If 
the story requires more than one page, write the word “more” at 
the bottom of each page and circle it. When the story is ended, 
indicate the conclusion thus: # 

4. Indent one inch for a paragraph division. If paragraphs 
are to be made in the body of the copy, use afora right angle L 
which encloses the first word of the new paragraph. 

5. Read copy with a soft black lead pencil, and write correc¬ 
tions, subheads and changes legibly. Overscore your longhand 
n’s and underscore your u’s. If your corrections are so numerous 
as to result in illegible copy, rewrite it. 

6. A circle drawn around an abbreviation instructs the com¬ 
positor to spell out the word. The same sign around a word means 
to abbreviate it. 

7. An oblique line (/) drawn from right to left through a capi¬ 
tal letter indicates a small letter. Three lines (=) under a small 
letter raise it to a capital. 

8. Do not divide a word at the end of a page. 

9. The Latin word stet written opposite canceled matter in¬ 
structs the printer to restore it to its original form. 

10. When words are intentionally misspelled, or when dialect 
is used, write on the margin, Follow copy. 

11. Watch particularly names, street addresses, singulars and 
plurals, punctuation, and spelling. See that the sentence has a 
verb. Be careful in the matter of information taken over the 
telephone. 

12. Read over everything you write before handing it in. Watch 
for the story when printed and profit by corrections made. 

13. Read and study all the newspapers you can obtain; study 
headlines, text, pictures, editorials, type, every detail. Keep your¬ 
self informed on current events. Read all the good books you can 
get. They help you to uphold the standards of good English. 

Importance of Clean Copy. The writer of news is expected 
to produce clean, readable copy. To repeat, he must write 
plainly, spell correctly, watch his grammar, see that punctu¬ 
ation marks are accurately placed. Typesetters are paid by 
the hour. Corrections caused by bad copy and time wasted 
in interpreting wiggly handwriting add greatly to the total 


NEWS ITEMS 


61 


cost of the paper. Do not assume that the typesetter knows 
what is meant. He is neither mind reader nor penmanship 
expert. Simplify his work by reading over the manuscript 
and by consulting the dictionary and directory. If mistakes 
get into the paper, the reporter is generally to blame. 

Finally, remember this apt injunction: Clean Copy Cuts 
Cost. 

Estimating Copy and Type. To calculate copy, count on 
thirty-nine characters to the printed line in 8 point old 
style. Character count considers each letter, punctuation 
point, and space as amounting to one. If word count is used, 
it will average about seven words to one line, or forty-three 
to forty-five words for a depth of one inch. This refers to the 
regulation news-story column in 8 or 10 point. Accurate 
estimate of copy cuts down the expense of overset, unused 
matter, and shows the reporter how much to write to fill a 
definite space. 

This line is equivalent to a line of type. 

Searching for News. Experience and observation have 
taught the botanist where to go to find certain plants, 
shrubs, and flowers. He does not expect to pluck white 
violets from a city street but in the quiet woods where con¬ 
ditions are favorable to growth. 

Similarly, news has its native habitat and seldom flaunts 
its presence to the passer-by. News must be diligently 
sought by a zealous collector, who knows where to look for it. 

The accompanying list of news sources has been compiled 
by Miss Joanna Zander, teacher in the Englewood High 
School of Chicago and supervisor of the “E” Weekly, a 
paper which has several times won prizes in national inter¬ 
scholastic contests for its superior workmanship: 

High School News Sources 

1. Alumni News. Meetings of association, news of individuals. 

2. Annual. Picture taking, sales campaign, staff, new plans, 
contests, and honors. 


62 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


3. Assemblies. General, special, pep meetings. 

4. Athletic Department. Boys’ and Girls’. Girls’ athletic asso¬ 
ciation, lettermen’s club, football mothers’ club, golf club, tennis 
club, dancing classes, life-saving classes, riding classes, hikes, hand¬ 
ball, football, basketball, soccer, baseball, swimming, track, pros¬ 
pects, practice games, contest games, state and national meets, 
exhibitions. 

5. Booster Organization. Membership campaign, elections, 
clean-up campaign, fire marshals, school service bureau, tutoring 
service, lost-and-found department, ink-filling station, dances, 
freshman relations committee. 

6. Boys’ Rest Room. Rules, attendants. 

7. Changes ajid Repairs. In building and equipment. 

8. Class Work. Exhibits, excursions, noteworthy work done 
by individuals, special speakers, debates, contests, club organiza¬ 
tions in classes, new equipment. 

9. Clubs. Intercouncil, boys’ class clubs, girls’ class clubs, girl 
reserves, boy reserves, Hi-Y club, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Camp 
Fire Girls, junior Red Cross, chess and checkers, camera, stamp, 
courtesy, first aid, model airplane, chemistry, general science, 
mathematics, biology, language clubs, column contributors, poets, 
arts, literary, travel. 

10. Community News. Concerts, little theaters, public library 
branches, neighborhood improvements, neighborhood programs, 
lectures at churches and clubs; meetings of Kiwanis, Rotary and 
other clubs, which have some relation to school or community wel¬ 
fare, parent-teachers’ association. 

11. Concerts and Contests. Piano, violin, organ, band, orchestra, 
glee club, etc., in the school or under the auspices of the school; 
declamation and oratorical contests. 

12. Damage. Caused by lightning, rain, etc. 

13. Dean’s Office. Stories about girls and boys, senior sponsors, 
social calendar, other activities. 

14. Debating Team. Members, preparation, contests, future and 
present. 

15. Drama Department. Plans, rehearsals, cast, scenery, stage 
hands, story of play, candy sales, review of play, financial report. 

16. Engineers and Janitors. Promotions, changes, illnesses. 

17. Extemporaneous Speaking. Local and sectional contests. 

18. Faculty. Meetings; new members; teachers leaving per¬ 
manently, on leaves of absence, on promotion; faculty’s first recol¬ 
lection of school days; illnesses, deaths, weddings, parties, books 
published, or other achievements or honors; former teachers and 
what they are doing; travels. 


NEWS ITEMS 


63 


19. Graduation. Commencement speakers’ program, class day, 
class jewelry, class dance, honors, graduates’ ambitions, graduates 
who have positions assured before they leave. 

20. Library. Staff, rules, new books, interviews with librarian 
on “What To Read.” 

21. Miscellaneous. Field day, fire drills, summer camps, special 
drives, locker inspection; statistics on most popular subject, most 
popular dish in lunchroom, etc., how much money do students 
earn? outside work of students; visitors to the school; visits of 
teams, clubs, staffs, etc., to other schools; curious experiences of 
teachers or students; stories of memorials, tablets, curios, etc., 
about the school; spring vacation tours to Washington or other 
points of interest; vacation tours chaperoned by teachers; evening 
school; school bookstore; dogs and cats in and about the school; 
animal stories from the zoology laboratory; news of other schools 
from exchanges; honor roll each time the cards come out; inter¬ 
views with successful alumni; absence list on a very bad day, 
pupils who walk to school; pupils who work; pupils with birthdays 
that come on Christmas and New Year’s; seniors’ experiences in 
first job; freshies’ impressions of school; foreign-born pupils; 
holidays described by foreign-born pupils; brothers and sisters in 
school; difficulties of club presidents. 

22. Newspaper. Changes in staff, progress of circulation cam¬ 
paign, staff meetings, “Boost the Advertiser” series, conventions 
and clinics, contests and honors. 

23. Other Classes. Election of officers; dues, amount and pur¬ 
pose; class projects, including Junior Prom. 

24. R. 0. T. C. Court martial, reviews, contests, commissions, 
meetings of commissioned officers’ club, meetings of noncommis¬ 
sioned officers’ club, other activities. 

25. Room News. Absences on account of illness, absences on 
account of death or misfortune in family; appearances m programs 
in and out of school; honors in attendance, scholarship, etc.; 
room plans for parties, picnics, participation in charitable projects, 

etc.; accidents; unusual names and famous families. 

26. School Charities. United Charities’ milk fund, Near East 
Relief bundle day, Christmas seals, Christmas and Thanksgiving 
charities, children’s aid society, Easter baskets for orphanages and 
convalescents, lunch baskets for Volunteers of America picnics or 

similar organizations. tw TUnk 

27. Special Days. Columbus Day, Armistice Day Thanks¬ 
giving, Christmas, New Year’s, Lincoln’s tothday, Washington s 
birthday, Easter, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Father s Day, Mother s 
Day Hello Day, Hallowe’en, Friday the 13th. 


64 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


28. Special Weeks. Apple week, fire prevention week, clean-up 
week, better English week, boys’ week, girls’ week, library week, 
safety week, national education week, national music week, vo¬ 
cational guidance week, junior Red Cross week. 

29. Student Council. Elections, proceedings. 

30. Student Court. Elections, trials. 

31. Student Honors. Scholarships won, medals, national honor 
society, undergraduate honor clubs; roll of E and S students. 

32. Student Loan Funds. Purpose, total amounts received and 
disbursed. 

33. Textbooks. Changes in, arrival of new supplies. 

34. Traveling Exhibits. Paintings, scientific exhibits. 

35. Universities. Scholarships offered, entrance requirements. 

36. Vocational Guidance. Excursions, group and individual 
conferences with vocational guidance supervisor, vocational guid¬ 
ance week, positions open, lectures. 


CHAPTER IV 


BUILDING THE NEWS STORY 

Paths and By-paths. Consider this incident plucked from 
real life: 

Charles R. Goodrich of Kansas City, drove his car to the Navy 
pier yesterday. He left diamonds valued at $4000 in the machine, 
which he failed to lock. He had gone to the pier to wait the coming 
of his wife’s maid and was so intent on watching the boat that he 
forgot the jewels. When Mr. Goodrich later looked for his car, he 
found that a thief had driven it away. 

As a writer you may approach this experience from half a 
dozen different paths and by-paths. You may want to ex¬ 
press an opinion about the carelessness of a man who leaves 
such valuable property in an unlocked car; in which case 
you will produce a caustic editorial, bristling with warning. 

The incident may appeal to you as the germ of a thrilling 
mystery yarn. Your imagination begins to canter. Before 
long, you have forgotten the facts, as stated, and fabricated 
an imaginative story that piles clue on clue and finally ends 
in the unraveling of the puzzle. 

Perhaps you have a liking for colorful description, so that 
the boat, the automobile, the maid, the frantic Mr. Goodrich, 
become subjects for minute word photography. You may 
even treat the incident as the theme of a poem, perhaps en¬ 
titled “Vanished Treasures.” 

The point is that you can experiment at will with this 
incident, depending on your temperament and controlled by 
some definite purpose, whether to soliloquize, argue, describe, 
versify, or merely relate the story just as it occurred. 

We assume that you are a reporter and that the incident 
65 


66 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


most appeals to you as news copy. It is then your business 
to bring it under the eyes of a host of readers who know 
nothing of Mr. Goodrich, but may be interested in hearing 
about his predicament. How shall the story be presented? 

Probably we all agree that it should be told with the most 
striking feature riveted into the opening words of the first 
sentence. The challenging fact is not that Charles R. Good¬ 
rich visited the Navy pier, but that he was robbed of his 
car containing diamonds valued at four thousand dollars as 
he watched the coming of a boat. That circumstance gives 
a human touch, brought instantly into high relief by the 
reporter. 

The mechanism of the yarn might be built in the following 
words: 

While Charles R. Goodrich of Kansas City 
stood on Navy pier watching a boat dock yester¬ 
day, his automobile, containing $4000 in dia¬ 
monds, was stolen. The car was parked only a 
few feet away from where Mr. Goodrich stood. 

He told police he had gone to the pier to wait for 
his wife’s maid, who was coming from their 
summer home in Michigan. He said he forgot 
to remove the keys from the car and when he 
turned around a few minutes later it was gone. 


Here is specific information about an actual incident pre¬ 
sented compactly, clearly, accurately by a reporter whose 
only contract was to serve his paper and his readers. The 
structure of the narrative he has produced, unlike that of the 
short story, the essay, a descriptive sketch, conforms to his 
judgment of what features are most interesting to the largest 
number of readers. The finished picture is really a snapshot 
of what went on in the reporter’s mind when he assembled 
his facts. He has sensed and answered the question that im¬ 
mediately springs to the mind of the average human being: 
“What was Mr. Goodrich doing when his car and diamonds 
were stolen?” 

After all, is not the reporter’s habit of blurting out infor¬ 
mation in the initial sentence based on the most natural 




BUILDING THE NEWS STORY 


67 


instinct in the world? Don’t we all want to know the im¬ 
portant fact at once, whether it be the name of the winning 
team (with the score), the loss of life in a hotel fire, the cause 
and results of an automobile smash-up? 

The reporter is our hired scout sent to discover and col¬ 
lect news for stay-at-home readers. The story he writes is 
keyed to fit their mental processes and their controlling 
interests. 

Analyzing the Structure. Possibly the quickest way to 
test the scaffolding supporting every carefully built news¬ 
paper narrative, long or short, is to study some metropolitan 
newspaper. 

Here is a story printed in the New York Times. It relates 
the visit of thirteen blind boys to the plant of the Times , 
where they “see” all the processes of making a newspaper. 
Note how this unusual feature is implanted in the first 
paragraph of the account and how the paragraphs that 
follow add other details of lesser significance, but necessary 
to complete the incident. These sentences in the second main 
division of the story may be cut, either in copy or type, with¬ 
out spoiling the main interest. The reporter hits the key¬ 
note in definite, unmistakable style. The story: 


Thirteen blind boys, ranging from 12 to 18 
years of age, students of the summer school of 
New York Institute for Education of the Blind, 
999 Pelham Parkway, visited the New York 
Times Annex yesterday. After being officially 
conducted through the building, the boys agreed 
unanimously that the linotype machines and 
the presses were the most interesting feature to 
them of the newspaper plant. 


1. Typical “five-W” lead 
emphasizing “who” and 
“what.” Summary of the 
boys' main impressions. 


The group of boys was in charge of Alva Duer, 2 - Reason for the trip, with 
physical director of the institute, who explained 

that their visit was a part of the program of in- graph ^ iniQ the Uad 
struction for the summer students. 


The boys made an inspection of almost every 
department by the sense of touch and the sense 
of hearing, as the various workings were ex¬ 
plained to them. 


3. How the boys got the in¬ 
formation. Note short para¬ 
graphs that let in daylight; 
also variety in sentence 
structure. 




68 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Boylike, they asked many questions, and 
when the replies were not quite clear, they in¬ 
sisted upon making further investigation by the 
sense of touch. 


As they stood before the largest press in the 
world they could not seem to comprehend a press 
big enough to grind out 57,000 copies per hour 
and eat up 750 tons of paper for a Sunday news 
edition from what was told them. They just 
had to “see” it. 


4. “ Seeing” the big press. 
A particular incident which 
gives “ punch .” 


So one by one they were placed upon a plat¬ 
form and permitted to gain their perception by 
the sense of touch. 


Recently this same group of boys visited the 
battleship “Texas” and in similar manner 
“observed” the workings of a man-of-war. 
They also visited Roosevelt House at 28 E. 
Twentieth Street and studied the life of Theo¬ 
dore Roosevelt at his birthplace. During the 
recent hot wave they were taken to a Y. M. C. A. 
pool and taught to swim. 


5. Another “ sight-seeing” 
excursion, which may be 
omitted if necessary. Helps 
to round out the story. 


A class of fifteen blind girls is also being taken 
from the institute on excursions to places in 
New York of interest to girls. Motor buses con¬ 
vey the students from place to place. 


6. Brief mention of a class of 
blind girls, similarly in 
quest of information. Also 
minor interest. 


Steering the Opening Sentence. A reader is won or lost 
by the opening sentence, termed by newspaper men the 
“lead” (pronounced to rhyme with reed). 1 It steers the rest 
of the narrative. A beginning may be so trite that one avoids 
it, or become so involved that reading becomes tiresome. A 
good lead should possess two distinctive qualities: (1) it 
must tell the news accurately and clearly; (2) it must arouse 
attention and sustain interest by an attractive summing up 
of high lights in the news. 

Emphasizing the Feature. A typical lead-paragraph an¬ 
swers five important questions: 


WHAT? 

WHY? 


WHO? 



WHEN? 


WHERE? 


1 The lead is essentially the same thing as the topic sentence, although 
the analogy is perhaps closer if the word “feature” is substituted for topic. 





BUILDING THE NEWS STORY 


69 


When these star points are covered, we have a sketch that 
traces the entire story. The degree of emphasis given any 
one query depends upon the relative importance of the facts 
to be recorded. Sometimes the reporter stresses who, and 
begins with the name; at other times he gives place of honor 
to what and builds his entire story on the event itself; 
occasionally he selects when and where as outstanding news 
explanations. Once a month, perhaps, how may be so in¬ 
teresting that it serves. In every instance the reporter 
must show judgment and originality. Every fact must be 
studied in its relationship to other facts. No two stories 
were ever alike, except to a poor observer. 

The five W’s receive a satisfactory answer — if the lead is 
well constructed — before the introductory sentences are 
completed. Observe the following: 


Two horses (what) were instantly killed by 
lightning (how) Tuesday night about 11:30 p.m. 
(when) on the farm of Dean Coulter (who), two 
miles south of Lima (where), during an electrical 
storm. The bolt struck a transformer on a 
power line which runs through a lane adjoining 
the farm house (how). The horses were running 
at large in this pasture. Eight other animals 
were stunned by the shock but not seriously 
hurt. No other damage was reported in that 
neighborhood. 


Watch Your Sentences. This chapter cannot discuss in 
detail the organization of sentences and their grouping into 
paragraphs. That analysis belongs to books dealing par¬ 
ticularly with rhetoric and composition. Variety in sentence 
structure is important, however, to the newspaper writer be¬ 
cause of the emphasis it gives to a story and particularly to 
the lead. Newspapers prefer the active voice because it is 
the simplest, most forceful way of giving “punch” to the 
news. Is not the first better then the second? 

Miss Eva Gregg of the biology department 
gave a talk before the fifth grade today on the 
life of the amoeba. 






70 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


A talk on the life of the amoeba was given to¬ 
day by Miss Eva Gregg of the biology depart¬ 
ment before the fifth grade. 


A lead may shape itself grammatically in many different 
ways, dependent upon the nature of the news feature to be 
disclosed. By the use of the inverted sentence emphasis may 
be placed on the most important fact. Continued use of this 
construction, however, would mean a stiff, monotonous style. 
Notice in the following examples how effective these inverted 
forms are: 

Prepositional Phrase: 

To shorten the four-semester typewriting 
course to three semesters, dictaphones have been 
installed in Englewood. The beginning type¬ 
writing will be taught by Mrs. Vera Williams 
and Mrs. Theresa Mather. 


Noun Clause: 

That the student council will not approve a 
proposal to put on a voting contest to determine 
Central High’s most beautiful girl was indicated 
Tuesday, following interviews with leading 
members of the organization. 

Temporal Clause: 

While alighting from a Northwestern train 
yesterday afternoon, Miss Alma Peterson, Eng¬ 
lish teacher, slipped and sprained her right ankle. 


Suiting the Lead to the Story. The cast of the lead, then, 
is determined in each case by the news. A single significant 
fact is most naturally rammed into a short, quick-moving 
sentence that grips and holds. The simple sentence, pre¬ 
senting one idea, is recommended to amateur writers as the 
most satisfactory of news mediums. Probably the most 
effective type of lead is one which starts with the subject of 
the main verb. Examine the following specimens: 

Classes in social and aesthetic dancing started I 
I in Patten gymnasium Friday evening. 










BUILDING THE NEWS STORY 


71 


Margaret Johnson ’30 has been awarded a gold 
medal by the Remington Typewriter Company. 
In a contest for speed she typed 55 words per 
minute. 

Colorado’s football team this year will be all I 
I decked out in flashy new uniforms. 

Blackie, a cat owned by Harry Goodman, who 
has a confectionery shop in Queens, lives entirely 
upon crackers and water. 

Five high schools and twenty-seven elemen- I 
I tary schools opened today for summer sessions. | 


Action in the Lead. When an interesting sidelight flashes 
into prominence, the participial construction is frequently 
effective. When well done, this type of opening brings the 
action into the first word and is well suited to many stories. 
The following is a good example of the use of the participial 
clause: 

Alarmed by the spread of measles and chicken- 
pox among children, the city council last night 
ordered the Lincolnwood grade schools closed for 
two weeks. Action was taken following the rec¬ 
ommendation of Dr. J. M. Dennis, city health 
officer. 

On the other hand, a piece of news may be made up of 
closely woven facts, ail important. The most effective 
carrier is then a long complex sentence which suspends the 
meaning until the end. The following newspaper classic on 
the loss of the Titanic, printed in the New York Sun, is an 
excellent example of the compelling grasp of this kind of 
structure: 

The greatest marine disaster in the history of 
ocean traffic occurred last Sunday night, when 
the Titanic of the White Star Line, the greatest 
steamship that ever sailed the sea, shattered her¬ 
self against an iceberg and sank with, it is feared, 
fifteen hundred of her passengers and crew in less 
than four hours. The monstrous modern ships 
may defy wind and weather, but ice and fog re¬ 
main unconquered. 

Out of nearly twenty-four hundred people 
that the Titanic carried, only eight hundred and 
sixty-six are known to have been saved, and 
most of these were women and children. 











72 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Carrying the Ball. On the football gridiron no one player 
carries the ball throughout the entire game. As emergencies 
arise new plays are attempted, and the ball given to men in 
the best position to carry it over the goal line. Variety in 
attack often spells victory. 

Similarly, the summary lead is not the only successful 
carrier of news. It has its strong points, but often the news 
is of such a character that another method of play will 
prove more serviceable, and certainly will prove more inter¬ 
esting to the spectators. 

Here are some suggestions on how the big feature of the 
story may be sent into novel formations: 

1. Emphatic Statement, set off from the story: 

Evanston 10; Elgin 0. 

That tells the story of last Saturday’s football 
battle on the gridiron of Evanston Township 
high school. 

2. The Question: 

Are you going to college? 

Sixty-five seniors in Hamilton High School 
said “yes” last week on questionnaires dis¬ 
tributed by school officials. The rest gave a 
variety of answers as follows: 

3. A Golden Text or Keynote: 

$10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction 
of person or persons who stole Tittle Tom Lum, 
a Pekingese spaniel, from the K. C. Bird Store on 
October 11. Inquire Tracing Department, K. C. 

Bird Store, 1421 Main St. 

Preposterous! Of course. But Ralph Hard¬ 
ing of the Kansas City Bird Store has the te¬ 
merity to hold up his right hand and tell the 
story as he says he knows it. And if you are that 
credulous perhaps you will be interested in Mr. 

Harding’s tale. 

4. The Direct Quotation: 

“You can never get too old to be a teacher,” 
was the cheering message which Henry Lambert, 

80-year-old school teacher, brought instructors 










BUILDING THE NEWS STORY 


73 


of the younger generation at the Cabell county 
teachers’ institute yesterday. He based his 
statement upon sixty-two years of service. He 
taught forty-one years in Cabell county and 
twenty-one in Kanawha and Ohio counties. 


5. Verse: 


One flew east, and one flew west, 

And one to the maid he loved the best; 

One strayed far, and one stayed near, 

But, they’ll all come back in another year. 

Throwing aside papers and cares, glasses and 
blue pencils, our worthy faculty leaves today, 
even as you and I. From coast to coast and gulf 
to lakes, those weary pedagogues will scatter for 
a much-needed rest, for new energy, new 
thoughts, and new honors. 


6. Informal tone: 

The circus is coming, when grandpa will polish 
up his annual excuse and take the youngsters to 
see the menagerie. He will rub up his spectacles 
and wish he had a hundred eyes when the won¬ 
ders of John Robinson’s circus go into action 
under the big white top with its four rings and 
half a dozen stages filled with acts. The big 
show is advertised to exhibit on Monday, July 12. 


Weak Beginnings. Many inexperienced reporters, im¬ 
pelled to pack all they know into one ponderous sentence 
and one omnibus paragraph, speedily find themselves in a 
maze that completely obscures their message. Piling cum¬ 
bersome clauses around the main thought brings confusion 
and ambiguity, just as overloading a Christmas tree with 
gaudy ornaments hides rugged beauty. 

Notice how this breathless lead requires a second, perhaps 
a third, reading before the meaning is grasped: 

Emphasizing the fact that boys are no longer 
actively engaged as clubs in pitching, catching, 
and hitting balls on back-yard diamonds, but 
instead are serving as caddies on golf courses, 

Charley Root, veteran pitcher for the Chicago 
Cubs, yesterday made a vigorous plea before 
Evanston Rotary club at its weekly luncheon, 










74 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


for the training of young recruits to take the 
places of baseball stars who will soon come to the 
end of their playing careers, and was roundly 
cheered by all present. 


Explanatory clauses should generally be massed in the 
background, so that the news, like rich cream, rises to the 
top and is speedily skimmed. Stressing the time element or 
the setting — incidentals generally — is likely to blur the 
real issue of the story. The writer begins with: 

At the meeting of the junior class Wednesday 
evening at 7 o’clock, John W. Blackmore 
was elected president of the class for the year. 

Fred E. Clark was his leading contender for the 
honor. The vote was 65 to 48. J 

A moment’s thought would show him that his schoolmates 
are more interested in John Blackmore’s election and in the 
vote than in the time or place of the meeting. Such minor 
facts may be indicated at the close of the sentence. Are 
these leads any better? 

By a vote of 65 to 48, John W. Blackmore was 
elected last night president of the senior class 
over his opponent Fred E. Clark. 

John W. Blackmore is the new president of the 
senior class. He defeated Fred E. Clark for the 
honor last night at the meeting of his classmates 
by a margin of 17 votes. The final poll was 65 
to 48. 

The Freak Lead. Sometimes a news writer decides to 
emphasize an unusual angle of a story and write what is 
termed a “freak” lead. This is all very well if there is no 
significant news to record, but the novice in writing is apt 
to make the mistake of attempting fancy introductions 
for articles that do not require “jazz” treatment. Learn to 
master the ordinary types of lead before trying other forms 
of news structure, notably the human-interest type. 

In the following story of a fire in which one person was 
burned to death and three persons injured, an inexperienced 










BUILDING THE NEWS STORY 


75 


writer, eager to break away from the standardized fire 
pattern, wrote this: 

“Tweek, tweek,” chirped a yellow canary bird 
from her cage as she came down the ladder yes¬ 
terday in the hand of Fireman George Marples, 
who had rescued her from flames which de¬ 
stroyed a rooming house at 1414 Elm street. 


A life and death struggle is the basis of the story, and this 
important fact should have been brought out in the lead in 
some such manner as the following: 

One man was burned to death and three per¬ 
sons were seriously injured in a fire yesterday, 
which destroyed a rooming house at 1414 Elm 
street. 1 


Reminders 

The average length of a newspaper paragraph is seven printed 
lines. Frequent paragraphs rest the eye and invite reading. Do 
not paragraph every sentence, however. 

Set down the high lights of your story in the order of their im¬ 
portance; then check your notes as a guide in the actual writing. 

Never be content to get a thing almost right. That means an 
inaccurate story. No trick of language can cover up ignorance. 

Seek emphatic, forceful words to start the lead. “A” and “the” 
are generally weak in beginning a story. Numbers should be written 
out. 

Do not be satisfied with just half a story. Try to get all the in¬ 
formation necessary to make a better story. 

Do not be satisfied with an awkward lead. Rewrite it until 
it fulfills requirements. 

Get both sides. Be fair to every person mentioned. 

Read at least one newspaper every day. Examine leads, words, 
and sentence length. 

Do not manufacture dialogue for the sake of novelty. The story 
thus becomes fiction. 

Do not exaggerate in order to make the story more interesting. 

Be sure of the meaning of words. Never give the reader a chance 
to misinterpret the facts. 

1 This form of lead summary is also useful when the reporter desires to 
tabulate results, lists of names, salient features, somewhat unrelated. 






76 WRITING FOR PRINT 

Watch long sentences. Would two shorter ones carry the mean¬ 
ing more easily? 

Write the story while it is still news. 

Try to see each story from a new angle. 

Be brief, but don’t omit essential facts. 

Keep a notebook and pencil handy. 

Avoid choppy, disconnected sentences. 

See what you look at. 

Do not get into a rut. 

Cultivate directness. 


CHAPTER V 


CLUBS, CLASSES, COMMUNITY PROJECTS 

Clubs. Recent analysis made of one hundred and ten 
high school handbooks shows that pupil organizations were 
mentioned more frequently than any other single project. 

Every school boasts numerous extracurricular societies, 
activities, social groups, and class organizations, all banded 
together around some vocational interest or personal taste 
and hobby. Some of these clubs perform noteworthy serv¬ 
ice, especially such organizations as the Girl Scouts, current 
events club, the hiking club, aviation club; but others, such 
as the red heads club, have less reason to justify existence. 
They squander energy and time better expended on more 
important student enterprises. 

The school paper is valuable in helping legitimate clubs and 
organizations to carry on their programs and project their 
ideas into the life of the school. It should be the editor’s 
policy to foster these group interests and to provide space 
for stories about them. 

Some papers segregate all the club news under a label head, 
“Club News.” It is better policy, perhaps, to give these 
articles news headlines, and scatter them throughout the 
paper so that they will catch the attention not only of club 
members but of all readers. Some organizations handle 
their own publicity matter by appointing a secretary to see 
that notices and reports of their meetings and other activi¬ 
ties are furnished regularly to the school paper, a more 
effective method than asking the news editor to assign a 
staff reporter to keep the club in print. Writers of publicity, 
however, should be trained so that they submit real news, 
not hip-hurrah press notices filled with their own wordy 
opinions. 


77 


78 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Few clubs of the conventional sort deserve extended notice 
in the school newspaper, because they do not do anything 
interesting. Occasionally they elect officers, hear the reading 
of assigned papers, then relapse into slumbering inactivity. 
Unless an organization has a definite, purposeful program 
that expresses itself energetically in projects and events, it 
cannot hope to win headlines and renown. Writing recently 
in his “How to Keep Well” column in the Chicago Tribune , 
Dr. W. A. Evans described the work of a model health club, 
with emphasis upon its far-reaching activities. No wonder 
such a club creates news stories that papers are eager to 
print. Dr. Evans’ comments follow: 

A MODEL HEALTH CLUB 1 

The Webster Junior High School of Oklahoma City has invented 
something new in habit-training methods. They call it the honorary 
health club. None but girls who pass a health examination with 
a rating of “A” are eligible. Every member of this club selects 
one near-eligible girl and helps her to remove her handicaps. The 
members of this club, individually and collectively, do whatever 
they can to keep healthy themselves and to promote the health 
of the school. 

During the last year the club made a special drive for foot health. 
The slogan was: “Perfect Feet for Webster.” 

The school indulged in the great American sport of a health week. 
On Monday a sleep survey was made. This disclosed that the 
average sleeping period was 9J hours. Four per cent of the students 
stayed up after 10 o’clock for radio programs and another 6 per 
cent were up late for other reasons. 

Tuesday was “No Cosmetic and Clean Finger Nail” day. Only 
42 of 1078 pupils used cosmetics or had dirty finger nails on the 
day in question. 

Wednesday was “Posture and Low Heel” day. Only 2 pupils 
wore high heels that day. But 40 per cent of the students had poor 
posture. 

Thursday was “Everybody Well and Present” day. The at¬ 
tendance on Thursday was 95 per cent perfect. 

Friday was “Walk to School and Eat a Hot Lunch” day. All 


1 Copyright, 1928. By the Chicago Tribune. 


CLUBS, CLASSES, COMMUNITY PROJECTS 79 

but 69 walked to school, or walked at least 12 blocks. All 'but 
10 rooms scored 100 per cent on the hot lunch requirement. 

At the end of the week the prize class was given a bronze statue, 
“The Athlete.” Promoting this health week was only one of the 
activities of the honorary health club. They took under their 
wings all markedly underweight pupils, and saw to it that they 
got a warm lunch at the cafeteria without having to wait in line. 
One member acted as a ventilation monitor for each schoolroom. 
She raised the windows as a classroom was vacated and closed them 
when the students returned. The windows of the building were 
all opened simultaneously at 40 minute intervals. They remained 
open about two minutes. 

They pulled off a health show and also a fashion show and an 
American girls’ beauty products show. The health column in the 
school paper was under their charge and it was up to them to plan 
hikes and picnics. 

And, finally, the State Federation of Women’s Clubs sent repre¬ 
sentatives of this club to other schools to organize similar honorary 
health clubs. 

Another successful enterprise was one promoted by the Sunshine 
Club in Crawfordsville, Indiana, high school. Members solicited 
recipes from their mothers and published them in a cookbook. Pro¬ 
ceeds from its sale were used to buy baskets of food for distribution 
to piDor people on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The club also 
collected old books and magazines to give pleasure to patients in the 
hospital, in addition to rendering other kindly services. 

Classes. Activities of classroom, study hall, and labora¬ 
tory have long been neglected as subject matter for splendid 
news stories, principally because these topics do not seem 
to have the tang of the exciting and the unexpected. As a 
matter of fact, programs of study and methods of instruction 
pursued in the various classes have never been so engrossing 
as they are today. Description of classroom work is certain 
to prove interesting not only to pupils and teachers but also 
to fathers and mothers. One of the greatest skills that a 
good reporter can acquire is to see news in everyday things. 
Incidentally, almost every subject discussed in class and 
demonstrated in laboratory may contribute something to 
the art of living, as the following striking compilation shows: 


80 


WRITING FOR PRINT 




The 

? Efficient School 


Teaches 


How to live.Hygiene 

Where we live.Geography 

Hew to reckon.Mathematics 

How we communicate.Language 

How things act.Science 

How others have lived.History 

How others have thought.Literature 

How to express beauty.The Arts 

How to cooperate.Athletics 


and so shows the 
Relation of School Work to Life 


Here is a list of hunches that may be profitably pur¬ 
sued by capable news gatherers, in cooperation with their 
instructors: 

Art Class. Regular work being done by the clals is 
often overlooked. Posters, window cards, lettering for the 
school bulletins, place cards, lamp shades. Who’s who in the 
art department? What honors have come to the teacher? 
Why do students take art — commercial or aesthetic reasons? 
Exhibits. 

Civics and History. Who has visited battlefields and his¬ 
toric points? Who has relics of Revolutionary, Civil, or 
World War? What field trips are made to local museums 
or places of historic interest in the town? How many stu¬ 
dents had ancestors in a given war? How many are named 
after war heroes? After peace heroes? Cooperation with 
historical society to familiarize and preserve old historic 
sites. Most popular character in history? 

Dramatic Class. Practice lessons, try-outs, names of cast, 
plays to be given, stories of these plays. Plan three or four 
news stories for plays and entertainments beginning at least 














CLUBS, CLASSES, COMMUNITY PROJECTS 81 

four weeks before date of performance. Keep student body 
informed on production of plays known to them, such as 
The Cricket on the Hearth. Interview alumni who are on 
the stage. 

English Class. Themes given in regular class work, 
poems, dramatized scenes from the classics, book reviews, 
debates, speed tests in typing (business English), spelling 
matches, standardized tests given. Contests, conflicts of 
all kinds, make news, so even a spelling match is news when 
winners’ names are given. “Good English week.” 

Home Economics. Always something here. Follow the 
seasons in dresses, hats, cooking. Do girls give lunches and 
dinners? Balanced menus and cost for family of five? 
Cafeteria management and equipment (if under home eco¬ 
nomics department). Favorite foods, amount required, 
menus and recipes for different occasions. How many girls 
are underweight? Contest for gaining. How many pounds 
of meat used in cafeteria for any one meal? How many 
gallons of milk in a day or a week? Recipe contest. 

Style Shows. Who had the prettiest dresses, and how much 
did they cost? Submit a commencement budget for a girl’s 
clothing at that time. Altruistic sewing. 

Is there a model apartment in the home economics depart¬ 
ment? How is it furnished? Do girls make models of rooms 
with arrangement of pictures and furniture? Are pictures 
in school properly hung? 

Class in Home Hygiene and Care of Sick. Bathing the 
baby; winding bandages; preparation of food. 

Laboratories: Chemistry. Experiments and tests to show 
impurities in foods and textiles. Do any students have 
chemistry outfits at' home? The chemist’s place in industrial 
development. 

Physics. This study suggests radio, telegraphy, televox, 
photography, aeronautics. 

• Biology, Zoology, Botany, etc. Rich material here. Field 
trips, insect collections, bird quests, plants and animals 


82 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


used for study. White rats make frisky tales. Experiments 
made in class, written to show their practical meaning. 
People’s names fastened to all experiments. Audubon 
society, Wild Flower society, leaf or bark collecting. 
Antisteel-trap crusade. Kindness to animals. 

Latin Class. Proportion of boys and girls? Who leads 
class? Why are these students taking Latin? Models of 
Caesar’s bridge or the Coliseum. Posters to show English 
words derived from Latin. 

Manual Training and Shop. Furniture, airships, radio 
cabinets. Pictures of boys with articles they have made. 
Work and repairs made by boys, if done for the school, not 
for themselves, is news and should be played up. Have 
students at home any old pieces of cabinet work, clocks, 
machinery, antiques of any kind? Report on such relics. 
Are there any girls in manual training? Why? Their 
opinions. Auto repairs — are the boys making good as 
mechanics? Interview some one who has taken a flight. 

Mathematics. What tests are given for alertness? Win¬ 
ners. Graphs to show attendance or circulation progress of 
school paper. Colored designs and models for visualizing 
geometry. Are practical problems given? Do students 
keep school records for entertainments, etc. Do boys sur¬ 
vey the school yard, measure the smokestack? What re¬ 
lation has mathematics to building construction? Show how 
school mathematics is essential to the different vocations 
of daily life — “ the butcher, the baker, the candlestick 
maker,” the tailor, the lawyer, the doctor, and all others. 
Test a group of seniors on some simple algebraic problems. 
Is a given building exactly upright? How crooked is a given 
street? Has a student made drawings of persons using 
geometric figures? Try an interview with a mathematics 
teacher on the application of algebra in the home. 

Modern Language Class. What books are studied? Ef¬ 
forts at conversation? Foreign letters exchanged. Stories 
about foreign correspondents. Slides shown or talks given 


CLUBS, CLASSES, COMMUNITY PROJECTS 83 


about foreign countries. Interviews with teachers on travel 
abroad. Advantages of a particular foreign language. Does 
any class publish a little paper in the language studied? 
What pupils in the school know or speak the most languages? 
Language column, open for little news stories, playlets, 
rhymes, in the different languages. How many names of 
foreign origin? 

Physical Education Class. (To be distinguished from inter¬ 
scholastic athletics.) Games and dances, exhibits, exercise 
and health, talks on how to walk and run. Best swimmer, 
best wrestler, etc. (Pictures for sporting page of boys and 
girls in action on gym floor.) 

Illustrations. Pictures showing action are best: boys 
working on or wrestling with the stage furniture, girls taking 
biscuits out of oven, or cutting out dresses, boy with his 
ship model. 

Home and Community. John Dewey, a philosopher active 
in the task of remaking the school of tomorrow, says that 
one of the faults in our present-day educational system is 
the complete divorce which the school tries to bring about 
between the classroom and the home. He points out that a 
child is taken from the family circle and an absolutely new 
set of interests and pursuits is forced upon him. The 
mystery is that the pupil survives the shock of this sudden 
immersion into the chilly waters of regulation and discipline. 
No such artificial setting should be permitted to usurp the 
place of the natural environment in which a pupil’s aptitudes 
and enthusiasms have found unfettered expression. The 
school should connect the pupil with his home and his com¬ 
munity through subject matter taught, and the manner of 
its presentation. Intelligent information and understanding 
of family life, community, state, and nation is the basis of 
all good citizenship. That is one of the functions of the 
newspaper in a democracy. 

The school paper is the ideal means to bridge the gap be¬ 
tween the life at home and the hours in school. By sending 


84 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


out its reporters to get news of meetings, concerts, interesting 
people and organizations, it is in a position to promote a 
community interest, and make the school paper vital and 
informing to a circle of readers no longer young. 

Some suggestions on where to look for news of community 
activities are given in the list below: 

Alumni in the Community. If an old school, stories of 
early days are good. Has the school a card index of its 
alumni? Letters from alumni in foreign lands, their achieve¬ 
ments. Stories about prominent alumni. What alumni are 
doing to help the school. 

Athletics and the Home. How may parents be led through 
the school paper to take more interest in athletics? How 
could a paper promote group athletics as distinguished from 
the regular teams? Could a paper point out to parents, 
perhaps of foreign birth, that athletics is a larger issue than 
simply having a winning team? What are the dangers and 
benefits of competitive athletics? These questions puzzle 
many parents. Has the paper any purpose in this con¬ 
nection? Games between parents and pupils. 

Civic Interests. Matters of civic interest can be adapted 
to the school paper. Bond issues for schools, tax levies, 
methods of election, a community chest drive, a clean-up 
campaign, activities of the board of health, plans for beautify¬ 
ing the city. Comparisons between city officials and officers 
in the student council. Tag days, Red Cross memberships. 
Have you a “ run-the-city day ” in your town? On this day, 
outstanding high school boys and girls spend the day in the 
city hall or make the rounds with the city officials, working 
with them and talking to them. 

Community Entertainments. What is the paper’s part in 
promoting community nights and educational exhibits? Is a 
special edition valuable at such a time? Suggestions for 
the treatment of community night at school, open classes in 
operation, manual training, domestic art, and hobby exhibits. 
What is your opinion of school carnivals as links between the 


CLUBS, CLASSES, COMMUNITY PROJECTS 85 


home and the school? How do play and pageants tie up 
with home interests? The paper’s part here. 

Community Tie-ups. Visits to local industries, factories, 
hotels, institutions, points of historic interest. Luncheons 
given by the business men’s clubs, Rotary, Kiwanis. Inter¬ 
views with local men and women about their business or 
profession, for example, with bankers about thrift. 

Constructive Interviews. The interview makes a natural 
and practical connection between the student body and the 
community. Celebrities are not the only persons who can 
be interviewed. Possibilities of the interview for obtaining 
public opinion should not be overlooked. Ask three leading 
citizens their opinions on these questions: (1) Do movies 
exert a bad influence upon young people? (2) Do the 
schools of today neglect the three R’ s? (3) Is the present- 
day dress for girls better than that of grandmother’s day? 
(4) Is courtesy passing? 

Ask the opinion of the student body on the school paper, 
its most popular department. Ask a certain number of 
students five questions suitable for publication as little inter¬ 
views. Publish these under some such caption as: In¬ 
quiring Reporter, Point of View, Student Opinion, The 
Student Forum, Sediment , The Voice of the Student, What 
They Say, Bricks and Bouquets. 

Feature Stories about Students. Stories about students 
interest parents and relatives. The youngest student in the 
class, those with long curls, twins. Although trivial and 
personal, these little items take the paper to the heart of 
the home. 

Parent-Teacher Association. Mothers and daughters teas, 
fathers and sons dinners. Activities of these associations. 

Promotion Story. Better conduct in assembly, need of 
campus, a fireproof school, a cleaner school. 

Cooperation with City Papers. How does your high school 
paper cooperate with the country, town, or city newspapers? 
Do you always send the editor a copy of your paper? If the 





86 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


city paper has supplied you with cuts, do you acknowledge 
them with a courtesy line and return them, if requested to 
do so? 

Start a school page once a week in the town paper. No 
better way has been found for keeping the citizens informed 
about the class work and activities of the school. Let it be 
class written and edited. Did you ever ask the editor to let 
your journalism class conduct the paper for one issue? 

School Interpretation. Interpreting the school can be most 
effective when most carefully planned. Here follow sugges¬ 
tions for a continuous program, as outlined by Selden Carlyle 
Adams, assistant director of the division of publications in 
the National Education Association: 

September 

Newspaper features 
The opening of schools 
New teachers 

The summer roundup of the children 

Health recommendations of the superintendent or the school 
physician 
Demonstrations 

School work exhibits at county and state fairs 
School floats in Labor Day parade 
Meetings 

Teachers Institute 

Parent-Teacher Association to welcome parents of beginning 
children 
Publications 

Handbook for pupils 
Handbook for parents 
Radio 

Talk by superintendent on evening before schools open 
October 

Newspaper features 
School enrolment figures 

How the schools accommodate the increasing number of pupils 
Needs of the schools at November election 


CLUBS, CLASSES, COMMUNITY PROJECTS 87 

Student self governing bodies 

Opening of evening schools 

Recent additions to the school library 

Americanization programs (Columbus day, October 12) 

Honor rolls based on first six-weeks reports 
Meetings 

Local teachers association 
State education association 
Board of education 
Parent-Teacher Association 
Publications 

Monthly and weekly papers published by students 
Posters advocating bond issues on tax levies at November elec¬ 
tion 

November 

Newspaper features 

Election of members to the board of education 
Bond issues and tax levies 

Illustrated article showing need of modern school equipment 
American Education Week Program 

Education Week statements by leading citizens commending the 
schools 

What the state spends for education 
Demonstrations 

Rededication of all schools during American Education Week 
Meetings 

City teachers association 
Parent-Teacher Association 
Board of education 
Publications 

Campaign literature for November elections 
Circulars describing American Education Week 
Radio 

American Education Week Program 
December 

Newspaper features 

Honor rolls based on second six-weeks reports 
Reports of state teachers conventions 
Election of new officers of the board of education 


88 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Demonstrations 

Christmas concert by pupils 

Awarding naturalization papers to students in Americanization 
classes 

Meetings 

Local teachers association 
State education association 
Board of education 
Parent-Teacher Association 

January 

Newspaper features 
Reopening of schools 
List of midyear graduates 

Demonstrations 

Commencement 

Meetings 

Teachers association 
Parent-Teacher Association 
Board of education 

Radio 

Address by selected high school teachers and pupils to graduates 
of the elementary schools 

February 

Newspaper features 

Winter convention of the National Education Association 
Beginning of the semester 
Changes in the teaching personnel 
Work of the school dental clinic 

Meetings 

Teachers association 
Board of education 
Parent-Teacher Association 

Publications 

Handbook for new pupils 
Radio 

Addresses by superintendent and president of parent-teacher 
association 


CLUBS, CLASSES, COMMUNITY PROJECTS 


89 


March 

Newspaper features 

Interviews with teachers 
Honor rolls based on first six-weeks reports 
Demonstrations 

Oratory contest supervised by newspapers 
Meetings 

Local teachers association 
Parent-Teacher Association 
Board of education 

April 

Newspaper features 

Vocational guidance for high school pupils 

How the schools care for behavior problem children 

Meetings 

Boajd of education 
Parent-Teacher Association 
Local teachers association 

May 

Newspaper features 

Child Health Day — May 1 

Honor rolls based on second six-weeks reports 

Close of the second semester in the evening schools 

Demonstrations 

Open-air pageants conducted by the division of physical education 
Meetings 

Address before the graduating class by representatives of col¬ 
leges 

Board of education 
Parent-Teacher Association 
City teachers association 
Publications 

Course of study from which pupils may plan their work tor next 
year 

June 

Newspaper features 

List of teachers appointed for next year 

List of graduates . . . 

Summer convention of the National Education Association 




90 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Demonstrations 
A vitalized commencement 
Field Day 

July 

Newspaper features 

Professional study by teachers at summer schools 
Purchase of new school sites 
List of summer school teachers 

August 

Newspaper features 

Cost of schools per pupil and distribution of costs 
Additions made to school libraries 
Where the June graduates are employed 


Some Sample Stories 
Clubs 

1. Two one-act plays were presented at the first meeting of the 
Spanish club held on Wednesday, October 10. 

The characters of the first play, “La Lavandera de Napoleon/' 
(Napoleon and his Washwoman) were Morris Polansky and Ger¬ 
trude Goldberg. 

Robert Brayley, Robert Colcleugh and Anna Murphy were the 
doctor and patients respectively in the other play, “The Unfortu¬ 
nate Doctor." 

Pedro S. Alayu sang two solos; one, “Nina," is his own com¬ 
position. The club members sang “Angela Mia," accompanied by 
Felicia Sarrel. 

The next meeting will be an interesting one. Miss Mildred 
Wheelock will tell about her trip to South America and Miss 
Katherine Kiely will arrange music and dances to suit the lecture " 
said Mrs. Augusta Wines, faculty adviser. “This semester prom¬ 
ises to be a very successful one for the Spanish club. The students 
are working with a will to make it one of the best clubs in the 
school." 

“All who wish to belong should join without delay to get the 
benefit of the whole semester," continued Mrs. Wines. 

A committee, consisting of Ruth Shanks and Gertrude Gold- 
berg was appointed to consult Wright and Street about pins for 
the club. 

— “E” Weekly, Englewood High School, Chicago 


CLUBS, CLASSES, COMMUNITY PROJECTS 91 


2. And now a new club has come to Central. Miss Shield’s 
newly organized Book Review club includes the News I students 
and those who have been invited on the recommendation of some 
teacher to join. “The only duty or rather privilege of the members 
is to read and review at least three books each semester,” Miss 
Shields announced. “The opportunities will exceed the effort spent 
in writing the reviews, as the students will be allowed to take out 
a pay book free for one week. 

“The reviews will be considered for publication in the Register, 
and the best two each week will be printed. By advertising the 
library in this way, the reviewer will have an opportunity to help 
the school,” Miss Shields added. 

Those who have been recommended are: Nena Horwitz, Marie 
Sabata, Edith Copeland, Bernice Thorsen, Jane Wickersham, 
Keith Wilson, Dorothy Blanchard, Mac Collins, Julius Goldner, 
Laura Jane Perry, Katherine Waldo, Robert E. Johnson, Irma 
Randall, Ralph Moore, Robert Saxton, Mildred Skow, Margaret 
Secord, and Esthyre Steinberg. 

— Weekly Register, Central High School, Omaha 

3. The Girl Reserve Club of W. H. S. gave a valentine party 
for all new members, and all other girls new to this high school, 
yesterday after school in MacDowell Hall. 

The New Girl party is an annual affair which was originated in 
Wichita High School several years ago. For the last three or four 
years such a party has been given soon after the beginning of the 
second semester in order to furnish a chance for the old and new 
members of the club to get better acquainted. 

Many games were played, including “ Months,” in which the 
girls were divided into twelve groups according to the months in 
which their birthdays come. Each group then presented a charade 
representing some important event in their month. Red paper 
hearts which had been numbered and cut in half were distributed 
so that each new girl found her partner for refreshments to be a 
girl already a member of the G. R. 

Heart-shaped ice-cream bars, and white cake with red icing in 
valentine patterns were served. 

— Messenger, Wichita High School, Wichita, Kansas 


Other Classes 

1. “Extra! Csesar has been killed.” 

Such was the Latin message of Tempora Lincolnia when it was 
issued on or about the Ides of March (the 15th), the day of the 


92 


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year on which the famous Caesar was murdered. A large part of 
the paper, which was written up in Latin just as if Caesar had been 
killed yesterday, deals with his death and with its bearing on the 
Roman state and people at large. Of course, that part is all in 
Latin, but its style is that of the twentieth century newspaper. 
Even the Latin editorials deal with Caesar’s death and its conse¬ 
quences. 

One column, headed “Curas Secludite” — Forget Your Troubles 
— has a number of snappy humorous bits. Two particularly good 
ones are signed by “ Latrunculus ” and “Centurulus.” 

Three poetic renderings of passages from Virgil’s “iEneid” 
were submitted by students of Miss Mary Miller’s third hour class. 
Another contribution signed “Pan” deals with Greek and Roman 
Mythology. 

A letter from San Antonio, Texas, printed in the paper, reads 
as follows: 

“We received the delightful edition of your paper a few days 
ago. It is extraordinarily clever and original. It is very different; 
in fact, I believe it is the only paper of that particular kind I have 
ever seen.” 

— Lincoln Log, Lincoln High School, Cleveland 

2. Alas, poor Yorick! Dead! Murdered! — poor little Mag- 
nuskovichkovinsky Oswald Percival Pat (don’t pronounce it — 
just sneeze once and cough twice) — is dead; murdered cruelly, 
foully, wickedly by an awful Streptococcus. (Just a germ, chilluns.) 
And all the “bugs” students go around with long faces and aching 
hearts, for nothing — nothing can ever replace dear little Pat, 
the most beautiful crayfish in all the world. 

“We knew that it was dying when it insisted on lying on its 
side,” admitted Miss Lane. “But why,” queried the anguished 
reporter, “why did you do nothing to save him? Couldn’t you 
have done something about the germ?” 

“We did,” she answered. “Hour after hour we worked to save 
him; despairing, hoping; but on Tuesday morning when I came 
to school, I found it lying there, stiff, stark, and cold.” Alas, the 
strepto, the steptocac, the st — oh well, the germ, had done its 
dirtiest. 

Poor Pat was immersed with due ceremony in the watery deep 
of formaldehyde; but he will not be permitted to rest in peace; 
he is to be sacrificed to the cause of science. The class will have 
the honor of dissecting the body later on in the season. 

— Weekly Register , Central High School, Omaha 


CLUBS, CLASSES, COMMUNITY PROJECTS 93 


3. Rats! Look Out Girls! Miss Dona Sapp’s home economics 
classes have four white rats. The home eccer’s don’t seem to be 
afraid of them. Maybe that is because the rodents are in a cage. 

The rats are from three to four inches long, and were only eight 
days old when they moved in the home economics department. 

Two of them are fed on crackers and water and the other two 
on crackers and lettuce. The object is to test the vegetable diet. 
Lettuce is a vitamin food and the two that are fed on the crackers 
and lettuce should grow more rapidly. Besides this they are fed 
their regular cage food, which consists of a mixture of corn meal 
and salt and cage lettuce. 

One morning one of the rats escaped. If the girls had known 
that, there would have been some excitement at dear old Roosevelt. 
The rat was finally found by one of the janitors. 

If the experiment proves to be a success, the rats will be shown 
at the home economics exhibit November 4 and 5. 

— Times, Roosevelt High School, Dayton, Ohio 

4. Upon miniature piano keyboards of five octaves, the key¬ 
board harmony class learns the fundamentals of simple chord 
harmony. 

“ Since there are no prerequisites this course affords a splendid 
opportunity for any one caring to learn to play simple accompani¬ 
ments, or to those in the orchestra who do not play the piano it 
will give a better idea of harmony,” declared Miss Miriam Terry. 
“And best of all those who have not had the opportunity to learn 
to play may learn this way and go right on alone when the course 
is completed.” 

Miss Terry has found that nearly fifty per cent of the students 
taking advanced music have no knowledge of the names of the 
lines and notes in relation to the piano keyboard. This course 
supplies a student with such knowledge. 

The originator of this method of teaching harmony, Mrs. Zay 
Bevitt, visited the class at the first of the year. There are only 
two other schools in this city, Lincoln and Broadway, that are 
employing this system. 

Miss Terry has requested that any one caring to take keyboard 
harmony should see her. 

— News, Roosevelt High School, Seattle 

5. Canterbury Pilgrims have come to West! They are in the 
Library now, seeking new friends. 

These manikins are dressed as characters from the Prologue of 


94 


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Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” One represents the Prioress, 
clothed in a dress made of real nun’s cloth, who resembles very 
much a modern nun. Chaucer said that she was well taught in 
table manners and “leet no morsel from hir lippes falle.” 

Other visitors are a nun, who is in the company of the Prioress, 
and who is clothed all in white; and a good parson, who, though 
poor in money, is rich in piety and kindness. 

These little dolls were projects chosen instead of a test, in Miss 
Harrington’s 11A English class, and were dressed by Esther Lee, 
Eileen Langstaff and Betty Cannon. 

The posters, stating these characters’ outstanding characteris¬ 
tics, were printed in Old English by Alleen Lanthorne, and were 
accompanied by a sketch of an old English Inn, drawn by Mary 
Shears. Maps and calendars were also made. 

What would Chaucer think if he were living today and could 
see these tiny representatives of his immortal tale? 

— Occident, West High School, Columbus 

6. To plan an extensive health program for the public schools, 
William J. Bogan and his advisory council met Tuesday, Octo¬ 
ber 23, in the Art Institute. Two sessions were held, one in the 
afternoon and another in the evening. Principals of all schools 
were invited to attend the meetings, at which prominent hygiene 
authorities spoke. 

Discussion centered on the latest methods in providing for the 
mental and physical needs of youth as outlined by leaders in those 
fields. Their aims were to reduce the number of cases of failure 
in classes, to nip in the bud tendencies toward crime, and to extend 
physical education in Chicago schools. Delegates from over fifty 
prominent Chicago organizations, school officials, and others who 
were interested in the project were present at the meeting. Dr. 
W. A. Evans, former health commissioner, presided. 

— Weekly, Hyde Park High School, Chicago 

7. A prize of five thousand dollars is being offered by W. C. 
Durant for the “Best Plan to Make the Eighteenth Amendment 
Effective.” The winning student will receive one thousand dol¬ 
lars, and the school he or she represents will receive four thousand 
dollars. The offer applies to high schools and preparatory schools. 

Competitive offerings must not exceed two thousand words in 
length and must be submitted prior to December 1. Prizes will 
be awarded December 25. 

Plans received in the high-school-preparatory-school contest, if 


CLUBS, CLASSES, COMMUNITY PROJECTS 95 

of sufficient merit, will be eligible to compete for the grand prize 
of twenty-five thousand dollars. 

Though this will not be compulsory, the G. W. H. S. English 
teachers are encouraging those who are interested to enter the 
contest. 

— Chatterbox, George Washington High School, Danville, Virginia 


CHAPTER VI 


“HOW SHALL I WRITE IT?” 

The Art of Rewriting. Many stories are printed as written; 
many more are rewritten. When a reporter fails to emphasize 
the newsy feature in his lead, when his yarn makes tedious 
reading, the city editor deals the copy to a skilled rewrite 
man with request that it be reconstructed. 

The most common type of desk revision has to do with 
the making over of stories previously published by other 
papers. These items are generally shortened in revision, 
and fresh developments added, so that they really become 
new stuff . 1 Sometimes a yarn published in a distant city 
may have some local application — such as the mention of a 
well-known person — so that this feature naturally gets the 
stress in the revamped lead. 

The following examples illustrate rewriting methods. The 
first story appeared in a city paper and related the marriage 
of a former teacher; the rewrite for the school weekly is 
built around the same facts, given special emphasis and 
treatment. 

The Original 

In the parlors of the First Congregational 
church at noon yesterday, Miss Florence Long, 
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Long, 1278 Fifth 
street, became the bride of Mr. Kenneth Cooper, 
a young attorney of Bellaire. Rev. Dr. Charles 
M. Gladden, the pastor, performed the cere¬ 
mony. Miss Agnes Long, sister of the bride, was 
maid of honor, and Mr. Lawrence Yerges, of 

1 More detailed discussion of lead structure, with particular reference to 
rewrites, follow-up and second-day leads, will be found in Bastian, George C., I 
Editing the Day s News, Chap. VI, Macmillan; Harwood, Dix, Getting and 
Writing News, Chap. VII, Doubleday, Doran; Harrington and Frankenberg, 
Essentials in Journalism, Chap. V, Ginn. 

96 






“HOW SHALL I WRITE IT?” 


97 


Columbus, a fraternity brother of the bride¬ 
groom, was best man. 

Before her marriage, Mrs. Cooper was a 
teacher in domestic science in the Clinton High 
School. 

The Rewrite 

Miss Florence Long, for three years teacher in 
domestic science in the Clinton High School, was 
married last Wednesday noon to Mr. Kenneth 
Cooper, a Bellaire attorney. Rev. Dr. Charles M. 

Gladden performed the ceremony at the First 
Congregational church. Both are graduates of 
Ohio State University, class of 1925. 

Her sister, Miss Agnes Long, a senior in East 
High, was maid of honor. 

A Modern Tendency. News compressed into capsules is 
easily swallowed by busy Americans. Long, fact-choked 
news accounts yield today to condensed summaries told in 
sprightly style. The phenomenal success of the tabloid 
papers is to be explained, in part, on the ground that people 
like to have their news delivered in small packages, attrac¬ 
tively labeled. 

Try your skill and ingenuity in trimming some inflated 
story to the dimensions of two paragraphs. A striking 
phenomenon is Time , the weekly news magazine. Its tabloid 
versions of current happenings are often somewhat eccen¬ 
tric, but it never mumbles in its sleep. 

The attached sample is typical of Time’s service in reduc¬ 
ing the girth of a fat news story. It abounds in picture- 
makeup words, is in fact a little news drama. Note names, 
particulars, quotes, all resulting in clean-cut information. 

Hands cupped, legs working in piston fashion, a pair of girl 
twins, whose age totals 28, propelled their monotonous way through 
the murky waters of lower New York Bay last week. At Battery 
Park, abode of the homeless, mecca of excursionists, they were 
fished out, their wet hands wrung, their likenesses caught by camera¬ 
men, their feat lauded. For 38 miles, for 7 hours 41 min., they had 
inched a zigzag course from Sandy Hook. To eschew a tide they 
headed eight miles out to sea, were met by another strong tide in 
the harbor. “We could swim back again the same way, right now,” 
said Bernice Zittenfeld, talking for herself and her sister, Phyllis. 






98 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


A New Use for X-Rays. The art of the rewrite man, how¬ 
ever, consists in brightening up dull copy, without tamper¬ 
ing with the facts supplied by the original reporter. 

Suppose we take a specific story. A “cub” was sent by 
his city editor to cover a lecture on X-rays, given by a 
university scientist. The address was packed with technical 
information, but included a practical demonstration. The 
story turned in by the reporter began with the statement on 
the speed of electrons, and later touched upon the fact that 
the scientist had used X-rays to test the quality of diamond 
rings supplied by engaged girls in the audience. This feature, 
of course, is the story, since the public is reasonably well 
informed on the history of the X-rays. Accordingly, the 
rewrite man lifted the incident about the diamonds into the 
lead and buried less interesting facts in the end paragraphs. 
This is how he recast the story: 

Flashing diamond rings taken from “engagement” fingers were 
eagerly offered to Prof. Robert Snow, of the department of physics, 
yesterday afternoon, just after he had concluded a lecture on “The 
X-rays” at Sterling hall before a crowd that packed the auditorium. 

Real or paste, that was the question in the minds of curious 
fiancees. 

Accepting only one of the proffered gems Professor Snow showed 
in simple fashion by the use of the X-rays that at least one of the 
girls present owned a diamond of rare purity. 

On a photographic plate he placed a large paste diamond, the 
engagement ring, a leather pocketbook containing coins, and sev¬ 
eral small objects. These were all put inside a wooden box covered 
with a black cloth. Then the X-ray machine was turned on for 
three minutes. Even in the darkened room the X-rays were in¬ 
visible, but they did the work. 

The plate, developed and projected on the wall, showed the 
coins and the metal frame of the purse. The X-rays passed through 
the wooden box and the leather. Similarly, the plate disclosed 
the paste diamond and the metal of the ring, but the photographed 
engagement ring had lost its set. The real diamond had been 
perfectly transparent. 

“This test is one of the most accurate to determine the quality 
of diamonds,” remarked Professor Snow, as he hastened, amid 


“HOW SHALL I WRITE IT?” 99 

smiles and giggles of his audience, to restore the borrowed treasure 
to its owner. 

“The greatest scientific discovery of the nineteenth century is 
the X-ray,” concluded Professor Snow. He explained that elec¬ 
trons, the smallest known things in the world, travel at a rate 
which would carry them around the globe eight times in one second. 
He also told how X-rays were discovered in 1895 by Prof. W. C. 
Roentgen, and how he called them such because their mechanism 
is an enigma. The creation of the rays, emanating from the inside 
of a highly exhausted glass tube through which a discharge of 
electricity is taking place, was also illustrated by Professor Snow. 

Comparative Study of News Stories. Many a youngster, 
in the first few months of his apprenticeship, gets the im¬ 
pression that there is but one way to write a story acceptably, 
and but one way to gather the news. As the cub becomes 
more analytical, he begins to realize that print does not 
possess the finality once attributed to it. He sees that news 
may reach town along various roadways, some short, some 
long, but all leading in the same general direction. 

Methods of playing up the feature may also differ, in 
accordance with the temperament of the reporter and the 
news policy of the paper for which he writes, yet each 
may have qualities of excellence. In fact, a discerning re¬ 
porter finally discovers that story forms may be decidedly 
dissimilar, without any one being inferior. This observation 
does not mean, however, that there is no such thing as good, 
better, and best. We propose shortly to show that these ad¬ 
jectives often apply to contrasting versions of the same news 
happening. 

The particular merit of newspaper writing, we remind you, 
is that it keeps the senses alert, the mind active, and the 
fingers constantly busy. George Herbert Palmer, famous 
professor of philosophy at Harvard University, once made 
this pertinent comment: 

And let me say, too, that since frequency has more to do with 
ease of writing than anything else, I count the newspapermen lucky 
because they are writing all the time, and I do not think so meanly 


100 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


of tlieir product as the present popular disparagement would seem 
to require. It is hasty work, undoubtedly, and bears the marks of 
haste. But in my judgment, at no period of the English language 
has there been so high an average of sensible, vivacious and in¬ 
forming sentences written as appear in our daily press. 

A Startling Discovery. To prove the point, let us turn 
to an incident illustrating methods adopted by reporters in 
telling the news. 

Early one morning Sam Bright, a farmer living on the 
outskirts of a large city in Ohio, started out for the barn to 
milk the cows. Suddenly in the field beyond he saw a tangled 
heap of wood and canvas caught in the lower boughs of a 
tree, then heard the groans of some one in pain. Setting 
down his milk bucket, he hurried to the spot and found upon 
the ground a young aviator, seriously injured. The man was 
unable to speak; his face was bruised and grimy; his cloth¬ 
ing torn. Mr. Bright hastened to the house, telephoned for a 
doctor, and called a farm hand. The two men carried the 
aviator into the front room and put him upon a sofa. When 
Mrs. Bright applied a moist cloth to the young man’s face, 
she started back with a cry. “ Why it’s my cousin, McHenry 
Blancho, of East Liverpool,” she exclaimed. “ He just got his 
license to fly last week, and he’s come down in our own field.” 

A few minutes later McHenry Blancho opened his eyes, 
recognized his cousin Florence, and began to tell how the 
accident happened. When Dr. Floyd Clark arrived, he 
found that three ribs were fractured, and that the aviator 
had been badly shaken up. He considered the young man’s 
escape from death as almost a miracle. 

Reporters and a Camera Man. News of the accident 
quickly traveled around the neighborhood. In a short time it 
reached the offices of three afternoon newspapers. One city 
editor instructed a reporter to get all the facts he could by 
telephoning the Bright home. Each of the other two city 
editors told reporters and a camera man to jump into auto¬ 
mobiles and hurry to the scene. 


“HOW SHALL I WHITE IT?” 


101 


The first reporter was a cub just out of college and was 
somewhat excited. He did the best he could in getting the 
facts, but was forced to guess at some of the details. The 
lead of his published story ran as follows: 

Henry Bancho, a daring young government 
aviator from East Liverpool, Ohio, lost control 
of his airship while flying over the Bright farm 
east of the city early this morning and fell into a 
tree where he was found by a farm hand. The 
man was removed to the Bright home and a 
doctor summoned. His injuries consisted of a 
broken leg and several shattered ribs. Mr. 

Bancho did not have a pilot’s license. 

The second investigator immediately sought out Mr. 
Bright. He got his version of the incident, and followed it 
up with a brief interview with the injured aviator. The lead 
written by this news gatherer ran like this: 

Crashing into a tree on the Bright farm four 
miles east of the city, McHenry Blancho, an 
aviator from East Liverpool, was discovered in 
the tangled wreckage of his airplane early this 
morning and removed to the Bright home, where 
it was found he had suffered three fractured ribs 
and minor bruises. 

“My engine went dead just as I was seeking a 
place to land,’’ said Mr. Blancho this morning. 

“I was unable to steer the machine properly, and 
could not avoid hitting the branches. That’s all 
I remember until I woke up here. I got my 
pilot’s license only last week, although I have 
been an amateur flyer for two years.” 


The third reporter sensed a different sort of story. In 
addition to asking questions of Mr. Bright and the aviator, 
he had a little talk with Mrs. Bright. Hence the following 
version of the accident: 

McHenry Blancho’s unannounced airplane 
visit to the home of his cousin, Mrs. Sam Bright, 
who lives four miles east of town, ended dis¬ 
astrously last night when the engine of his 
machine went dead and he came down in a tree 
on the Bright farm. Early this morning Mr. 

Bright found the young aviator unconscious in 
the crumpled wreckage of the airplane, and with 








102 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


the assistance of Frank Moore, a farm laborer, 
got him safely within doors. 

When Mrs. Bright began to wash the grime 
and blood from the aviator’s face, she discovered 
that he was her own cousin, a lawyer from East 
Liverpool, Ohio. 

“I didn’t know he was flying here to visit us,” 
she said this morning. ‘‘His mother wrote me 
last week that McHenry had received his license 
to fly. You can imagine my astonishment when 
I recognized him. He will stay with us until he is 
ready to travel.” 

Mr. Blancho fractured three ribs and was 
badly shaken up, according to Dr. Floyd Clark, 
who attended him. The physician said his es¬ 
cape from more serious injuries was almost a 
miracle. 


In the meantime, the camera man had taken a picture 
of the wrecked airplane and secured a close-up of the injured 
aviator, with Mrs. Bright, his cousin, sitting at the bedside. 
These graphic photographs appeared that afternoon on the 
front page of a newspaper specializing in big headlines and 
sensational picture display. 

Dissecting the Stories. Perhaps none of the stories you 
have just read would be regarded as a masterpiece. News¬ 
paper writing is done under such high pressure that one 
hundred per cent performance is seldom achieved. 

But it must be quite evident that the account written by 
the cub as the result of a telephone conversation is not at all 
satisfactory. The aviator’s name and occupation are bungled, 
the details vaguely sketched, the facts twisted. The second 
version is better; but it fails to include an interesting feature, 
the relationship of the aviator and Mrs. Bright, a key fact 
which the third version pushes forward into the lead. The 
third story is more explicit, considerably more accurate. 
Notice the use of names and “quotes.” 

A follow-up lead — say, in a paper published the day 
following the accident — might be shaped in this fashion: 

McHenry Blancho, the young aviator from 
East Liverpool, who crashed yesterday into a 
tree on the farm of Sam Bright, four miles east 






HOW SHALL I WRITE IT?” 


103 


of town, while attempting a landing to visit his 
cousin, Mrs. Bright, was resting comfortably this 
morning. He is in bed at the Bright home, where 
he was taken after the accident. 


None of the stories included in our discussion may appeal 
to you as adequate to convey the facts simply and interest¬ 
ingly. Well, see what you can do to improve on the versions 
printed. No reporter has a patent on any special method of 
news presentation. 

Matching Leads and Paragraphs. No more fruitful ex¬ 
perience may be found than making a critical, paragraph-by¬ 
paragraph dissection of newspaper stories as published in 
papers of differing policies and addressed to varying read¬ 
ing publics. See what facts have been garbled, what lead 
materials emphasized, what information omitted, what sen¬ 
tences are made effective carriers of thought. Such compar¬ 
ative study will guide you in your own handling of news for 
publication. 




CHAPTER VII 


ENTERTAINMENTS, SPEECHES, INTERVIEWS 
Entertainments 

Boosting School Enterprises. More and more the news¬ 
paper is serving the school as a medium of publicity. Rela¬ 
tively few students stop in front of bulletin boards, bent on 
finding out particulars of approaching events, but practically 
all devour the newspaper. So do parents, as much interested 
in school activities as their sons and daughters. 

Let us say that the Hi-Y Club proposes to raise funds to 
buy equipment for the gymnasium and has hit upon the 
idea of securing the services of Mario, the magician, who 
agrees to give an entertainment in the auditorium under the 
club’s auspices. The cost will be seventy-five dollars. That 
means the boys must sell a good many tickets to pay the 
magician’s fee and insure a profit. Placards posted in the 
corridors and displayed in show windows will help bring a 
crowd, but probably the most telling medium to arouse 
interest is to use newspaper space. 

The school weekly therefore becomes an advance publicity 
agent for the Mario entertainment. When the event is 
past, it will also print a report of what happened and how 
much money was turned over to the Hi-Y Club. 

The first mention of the show is certainly news. Subsequent 
announcements seldom present fresh facts and are generally 
printed because the editor wants to cooperate in drumming 
up a crowd for a school enterprise. To permit an enthusiastic 
press agent to fill half a column with persuasive remarks 
about a coming attraction debases the paper as a news 
medium. The wise policy is to use restraint and intelligence 
in handling such publicity stories. The reporter must play 

104 


SPEECHES AND INTERVIEWS 


105 


up the real news; he must cut out repetitions and compli¬ 
mentary “fluff.” Merely urging people to attend does not 
interest them. The news story should make the coming 
event so attractive that everybody will want to go. If the 
promoters wish to beat the big bass drums, the editor might 
suggest that they buy advertising space . 1 

The Precede. The first news story about the Mario 
entertainment is known as a “ precede.” Perhaps it may run 
something like this: 

Mario, the magician, who takes rabbits from 
hats and plucks coins from the air, is coming to 
Central High next Friday evening to give one of 
his entertainments. 

The show is a benefit performance promoted 
by the Hi-Y club, and the proceeds will be spent 
in buying equipment for the gymnasium. 

The entertainment will be held in the audi¬ 
torium at 8 o’clock. Members of the club are 
selling tickets, priced at fifty cents. 


Some papers omit the cost of admission; others are not so 
particular, especially if they consider the cause a good one. 
But strictly private enterprises — say a Thanksgiving dance 
at a hotel — do not deserve extended press notices with the 
price per ticket attached. 

Of course, if the editor desires still further to lend endorse¬ 
ment to the project, he may do so in the editorial column, 
where he may follow up the news announcement with a 
strong appeal to buy tickets. 

A cut of Mario will help personalize the preliminary story 
and doubtless prove an effective medium of publicity. All 
professional lecturers are glad to supply newspapers liberally 
with halftone pictures and press reviews. They should be 

1 Many principals oppose the employing of outside talent for school enter¬ 
tainments, often insisting that even the scenery for a dramatic production be 
made by boys and girls within the school building. Such a policy usually en¬ 
courages originality and latent resources, but all too often an entertainment 
is spoiled by amateur bungling. Some expert guidance, coupled with ad¬ 
herence to professional standards, is necessary if school enterprises are to 
reach a high degree of excellence. 




106 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


used sparingly. The paper might try a cartoon of Mario 
with a bunny. Home-made products are better than canned 
stuff. 

Mario Performs His Tricks. The assignment editor knows 
the evening and place of the Mario entertainment. Accord¬ 
ingly, he jots down the data in his log book, and when Friday 
comes instructs a reporter to attend the show and write a 
story of two hundred words about it. Generally, several free 
tickets have been left with the editor so that the reviewer is 
assured entrance to the hall. 

Personal attendance is absolutely necessary. No real story 
can be manufactured by inspecting a printed program; nor 
will casual impressions retailed to an absentee reviewer by 
some friend prove of any great assistance. The writer must 
be genuinely interested himself if he is to transmute his 
pleasure into readable prose. Long-distance reporting ac¬ 
counts for a good many stupid inaccuracies printed in news¬ 
papers. 

We shall assume that a capacity crowd saw Mario perform 
his mystifying feats, that applause was loud, that everybody 
went home happy. All exceedingly obvious! What remains 
to be told? Well, one thing would be to learn how much the 
Hi-Y Club received as its share of the proceeds. Another 
would be to interview Mario behind the scenes on the sort of 
spectators he has found most difficult to deceive with his 
tricks; still another to find out why most people like sleight- 
of-hand performances. 

In the present instance, the ingenious reporter seized upon 
the Mario entertainment as a starting point for additional 
news investigation and uncovered facts that changed an 
ordinary report into an engaging story, tingling with fresh 
ideas. 

We reprint the headlines, and a few paragraphs lifted from 
that story: 


SPEECHES AND INTERVIEWS 


FEATS OF MAGICIAN 
AMPSE BIG CROWD 

Mario Says Most College Profes¬ 
sors Are Easy to Fool, But 
Boys Bother Him 


Mario, the magician, kept a large audience 
mystified through two hours of hilarious enter¬ 
tainment at the high school auditorium Friday 
evening. Eighty dollars was realized from the 
show, according to Howard Roberts, president of 
the Hi-Y club, who sponsored the performance. 
The members of the organization expect to spend 
the money for new equipment for the gym¬ 
nasium. 

Disappears from Trunk 

Mario, whose stage name is a combination 
of his real name, Martin Lowenstern, took white 
rabbits from hats, allowed himself to be roped 
and put into a trunk from which he disappeared 
soon afterwards, and plucked requested playing 
cards from mid-air. Perhaps his most successful 
illusion was that of sawing his young lady as¬ 
sistant into two pieces as she lay in a big chest. 
Later he put her together again. 

Watches Small Boys 

In an interview after the show, Mr. Mario 
declared that college professors are the easiest 
folks in the world to hoodwink. “The average 
professor is so intent on studying out how a 
mystifying trick is done,” he said, that he 
doesn’t see much of anything. A professor thinks 
he’s pretty wise. 

“But I fear the small boys,” Mr. Mario con¬ 
tinued. “They’re hard to fool. When I ask for 
persons in the audience to come upon the stage 
to examine a cabinet in which I disappear, I m 
always shaky if half a dozen inquisitive kids 
start forward. I know I’ve got to work mighty 
hard to keep them from seeing too much. And 
if they start handling the cabinet I’m lost. A 
kid’s eyes and mind are always on the go. 









108 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Sidelights. Entertainments and exhibitions, then, present 
many challenges to reporters not satisfied with describing 
the obvious and the commonplace. A collection of verbal 
snapshots, connected with some well-advertised event, is 
quite often more newsy than the big show itself. These im¬ 
pressions may readily be secured as the reporter gathers 
facts for the main assignment. The mark of a capable news 
gatherer is his ability to discover lively little features to serve 
as commentaries to the full-length story. 

Reporting a Play. News of a coming stage production 
develops considerably in advance of the time of presentation. 
The first story deals with the selection of the play, the try¬ 
outs, the announcement of the cast, the last rehearsal, the 
ticket selling, and the final story. The financial success of the 
venture depends largely on the kindling of interest brought 
by newspaper publicity. Any keen-minded reporter will 
find good material in dramatic performances, both before the 
time of presentation and when he is called upon to write the 
review itself. 

Dramatic events should be treated as news and therefore 
must depend upon lead presentation and cumulative interest 
to achieve their ends. Opinion should be skillfully interwoven 
with fact. Primarily the writer’s purpose is to tell what he 
has seen and what has happened at the performance and how 
the audience responded to the work of the actors. Features 
to consider in framing the review are the acting, setting, 
staging, response of spectators, and a hint as to the financial 
success of the production. Many amateur reviewers make 
the mistake of trying to deal sugar to each member of the 
cast, although perhaps that is not so unwise as a supercilious 
attitude. It should always be remembered that a critical 
review gives the privilege of the by-line, and the reviewer 
is permitted to record his own views for which the paper 
itself should not be held responsible. 

The attached sample shows how the review may be 
handled: 


SPEECHES AND INTERVIEWS 


109 


Another successful production given by the South Side Glee 
club under the direction of Roland S. Schafer, was witnessed Fri¬ 
day and Saturday nights. It was probably one of the best minstrels 
ever given by South Side. The cast was good, and from the time 
that the entire personnel of the show melodiously stated the pur¬ 
pose, method of approach and a few other aims of the production, 
till the presentation of the cake-walk, the audience was well en¬ 
tertained. 

Most of the jokes were new and funny, which is a credit to any 
show. Miss Patterson should be given a big hand for her successful 
clog dances. 

Art Emmerson took the spotlight with a song and dance number. 
He was encored five times Friday, and six times Saturday, a record 
to be proud of even if you are only an amateur. Johnny Inches won 
all the hearts as the little gal who sang a song in praise of the corner 
baker and as Sonny Boy. 

Warren Baker was outstanding in the quartet that sang “ Tumble- 
down Shack in Athlone.” In Adelbert Thompson, the audience 
heard a second Gene Austin. His song “In Lilac Time” was well 
received by the audience. The boys cannot be given all the credit, 
for the Mammy Octet was a hit. Melba Fonner sang a beautiful 
number called “The Green Cathedral.” Ellen Mann, dressed as a 
man, sang “’Tain’t So, Honey, ’Tain’t So.” 

The chorus was one of the best Mr. Schafer has directed. The 
members took their cues with perfection, and, believe it or not, there 
is talent in that chorus. If you attended you are an ear-witness. 
It was a well-appearing chorus. Each one was dressed in white 
trousers and shirt with a black tie. Mr. Snider was the nonchalant 
interlocutor and carried his part quite successfully. 

Both nights the auditorium was nearly full. Saturday night 
there was one of the largest audiences ever to witness a minstrel 

at South Side. —South Side Times, Fort Wayne, Indiana 


Speeches 

First, Get It Right. In reporting a speech it is imperative 
that the reporter take careful notes on striking passages in 
which he thinks other people will be interested. These are 
to be enclosed in quotation marks as utterances of the 
speaker. The story, therefore, is a verbatim condensation 
of an address, not a scattered impression of what the reporter 
thinks the speaker said. 


110 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Obviously, if a reporter depends on auditors for his in¬ 
formation, he is likely to get a distorted estimate of the ad¬ 
dress. Most people do not tax their memories with the exact 
phrasing of what they hear. Opinions and disconnected rec¬ 
ollections are, of course, worthless to a reporter anxious to 
produce an accurate, informing story. Attendance at the 
lecture — preferably well up in front — or the use of the 
speaker’s manuscript, is the only sure method of securing a 
good report. A speech affords excellent drill in note taking 
and in grouping of relevant facts around a central theme. 

Starting the Story. Once the reporter has plenty of notes 
that record telling passages, he is confronted by the problem 
of sorting them out for publication. What is to be his lead? 
The answer to that question depends upon the speech itself. 
An epigrammatic, thought-provoking statement may easily 
serve as an entering wedge, provided it does not misrepresent 
the tenor of the speech when detached from its setting. In 
the latter case the story might start with a direct quotation, 
a method favored by reporters, even though the speaker may 
not have uttered the particular sentence in question until 
well toward the end of his address. 

Great care should be taken to preserve the continuity of 
the speaker’s thought, and to resume the use of quotation 
marks in succeeding paragraphs. It is rarely permissible to 
substitute one’s own phrases and to place the responsibility 
for them on the shoulders of another. Such practices some¬ 
times bring the hot criticism that a man has been misquoted. 
A brief description of the setting and circumstances, in con¬ 
nection with the address, often makes good copy. 

Often the lead may summarize the leading facts developed 
in the course of a speech without utilizing direct quotation, 
especially if the address lacks striking opinion. The following 
paragraphs will illustrate the method: 

Love, humor, sorrow, and faith are the four 
outstanding traits of Abraham Lincoln, accord¬ 
ing to Rabbi Jacob Tarshish, who spoke to the 




SPEECHES AND INTERVIEWS 


111 


student body of Central High Thursday, Febru¬ 
ary 12, the birthday of the great emancipator. 

“Washington, the founder of our country, and 
Lincoln, its savior, stand side by side in the 
hearts of Americans, for both were men with the 
human touch,” continued the speaker. His re¬ 
marks were received with cheers from the large 
crowd present at the convocation. . . . 

Some Illuminating Touches. The correct chronicling of 
what a reporter hears is never to be minimized; it is the 
cornerstone of success in reporting. But there are other 
things as well that belong to a speech that should challenge 
every alert scribe. Often the setting and atmosphere, the 
significance of the occasion (it may be a memorial service 
for brave young fellows who fell in France), the fame of the 
orator, deserve important place in the formal story. These 
invigorate every quotation. Nor should a reporter neglect 
the opportunity to add characteristic gestures and bits of 
human interest that interpret the personality of the man 
who talks. 

A careful reporter avoids too frequent use of “he said,” 
in giving authority for quoted remarks. It is much more 
expressive to write “declared,” “continued,” “added,” 
“concluded,” or any other expressive word that relieves the 
monotony of this old favorite. He is also sure to use 
(“) marks at the beginning of each paragraph of quotation, 
keeping the final (”) marks until the conclusion has been 
reached. Here the speaker’s name may be added to but¬ 
tress the writer’s authority and round out the report. 

Enlarging the Field. Survey of school newspapers shows 
that assignment editors seldom, if ever, send news gatherers 
outside the campus gate to report speeches. Few addresses 
given at weekly assembly are startling enough to break the 
routine of school life. Such speeches are generally admoni¬ 
tory and somewhat stereotyped. As we have seen in the 
discussion of entertainments, application of interviewing 
methods will often add just the factor needed to save a story 
from becoming a dull repetition of the obvious. 




112 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Almost every town, however, supports a lecture course; 
citizens turn out in goodly numbers to listen to a speaker who 
has something to say. Herein lies opportunity for enlarging 
the news scope of the school newspaper. Certainly some 
opinion offered by a downtown speaker will grip the interest 
of young people. To secure elaboration of such remarks 
through adroit questioning is relatively easy; good copy is 
the reporter’s reward. 

Interviews 

Elements of an Interview. In essence the interview is 
not radically different from the report of a speech, except that 
it is usually more informal in tone and includes in its scope 
swift character drawing. Most people read eagerly an in¬ 
timate interpretation of a celebrity’s pursuits, opinions, and 
daily life; autobiography is nearly always refreshing and 
inspirational. 

An interview offers some striking opinions held by a promi¬ 
nent man, secured through a series of pointed questions put 
by the interviewer. The reporter encourages his man to 
detail his experiences and to set forth his views on a sub¬ 
ject of timely interest; then he endeavors to reproduce the 
exact trend of the conversation. In his story he may use 
an “I” if he himself takes a prominent part in the discussion 
or he may insert the question which prompted a pungent 
retort. Generally, the interviewer remains hidden and al¬ 
lows the limelight to flicker upon the man himself. 

The notebook should rarely be used. A poised pencil 
discourages easy freedom of speech. A retentive memory, 
therefore, is absolutely essential if the reporter is to give a 
truthful version of what has been told him. If he has, like¬ 
wise, ability to write the English language with distinction 
and charm, his production will have the added merit of 
literary flavor. 

Know Your Man. If called upon to interview a man, a 
reporter’s first duty is to discover all he can about him so 


SPEECHES AND INTERVIEWS 


113 


as to be able to ask intelligent questions. It is certainly 
advisable not to duplicate the folly of a cub reporter on a 
Detroit newspaper who accosted John Burroughs, the 
naturalist, with the query, “Now, Mr. Burroughs, just what 
do you do for a living?” Such gross ignorance will seal the 
lips of a man otherwise disposed to be friendly. For in¬ 
stance, if a reporter seeks information from the commandant 
of a local air field concerning a proposed course in aeronautics 
for the schools, or designs for an airplane contest, he informs 
himself first as to what has already been done, and saves 
himself from stupid blunders. He learns all he can about 
men and their activities. He reads widely. He keeps his 
reservoir of information full. Ignorance is the only evil 
spirit to fear. 

Thumb-nail Interviews. The simplest type of the inter¬ 
view is the combination of questions and answers relating to 
some topic in which readers express an interest. An example: 

Popping the Question 

Should pupils bring cars to school f 

Roma Holme, senior: 

I believe it is the pupils’ privilege to bring their 
cars to school providing they obey all the park¬ 
ing rules. It has been proved that they do 
obey commands by Principal Balzer’s compli¬ 
ment in auditorium this morning. 

Fae Polzin, junior: 

I do not believe it is wrong for the students to 
bring their automobiles to school if they are care¬ 
ful in driving them; and if they respect the rights 
of the people living around the school; and if 
they live at a distance which makes it necessary 
for them to bring their cars. But if they live 
only a short distance and bring their cars only 
for pleasure, I think the cars should be left at 
home. 

Ralph Wilson, junior: 

I see no harm in bringing a car to school. A 
car is very convenient for the pupil who lives a 
distance from school. It is a benefit to the 




114 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


student body if used in the right manner. By 
means of a few simple parking rules, everything 
can be made to run smoothly, and everyone will 
be satisfied. 

— Scroll, Washington High School, Milwaukee 


Framing the News Interview. The skill that fashions any 
news story may well be employed in writing the more special¬ 
ized interview. Here is the chance to blend direct quota¬ 
tion, personal data, striking news, and useful information 
not otherwise accessible. A few paragraphs from a well 
written interview are sufficient to indicate this combination: 

“I prefer American cattle cars to those of the French,” declared 
0. S. Lehman, history teacher, in telling of his war experiences in 
France as a member of the ninth machine gun battalion. “Thirty- 
five men packed in a box car capable of holding fifteen is not the 
most pleasant of feelings,” he continued. 

After training for one month at Camp Upton on Long Island, 
Lehman was transferred overseas. 

“I believe I walked the greater part of the distance,” Mr. Leh¬ 
man said, “for when we were not drilling on deck, we were called 
for submarine or fire drills or perhaps for medical inspection. 

“Landing in England we embarked for Havre, France, to locate 
at the British rest camp. The only rest I got here, however, was 
from eating, because at that time the British rations were very 
low,” he declared. 

Not wishing to pose as a hero, Mr. Lehman declined to tell of his 
experiences at the “front.” 

One of the most interesting features of the entire trip was the 
menu served in the cattle car, en route to Verdun. 

“The variety of food shows how every locality did its bit,” he 
said. “We had corned beef from South America, jam from Aus¬ 
tralia, canned beans from Michigan, canned tomatoes from Mary¬ 
land, and American bread made in France.” 

Mr. Lehman was most fortunate on his return, the trip being 
made from Coblenz, Germany, to his home in Indiana in 19 days, 
including the time necessary to obtain his discharge. 

— Black and Gold, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, High School 

Focusing Opinion. Exchanges print many opinions which 
may be projected into school life and made the basis of stories 
having a local application. A sociologist may say that cheat- 




115 


SPEECHES AND INTERVIEWS 

ing is always associated with inferior intellects. Such a 
statement, repeated by the interviewer to persons from whom 
he solicits comment, at once becomes the basis of a made-to- 
order interview of interest to everybody. 

The accompanying story shows how a casual observation 
may be treated to fit a particular school. 

Blanche Bates, famous actress, known in private life as Mrs. 
George Creel, said that her thirteen-year-old daughter, a pupil in a 
San Francisco high school, came home begging for some cosmetics 
because her schoolmates used them. Her request was refused. 
Miss Bates certainly does not approve of thirteen and fourteen- 
year-old girls using cosmetics and “making up” like clowns. She 
declares, “A clean face is the kind of face that the young school girl 
needs,” and adds, “the schools need an epidemic of face washing 
and spanking.” 

Miss Bates appealed to the principal of the school in San Fran¬ 
cisco, who referred her to the school board. The board, believing 
that it is the place of the mothers, and not the teachers, to see that 
youngsters use no cosmetics, refused to have anything further to do 
with the matter. 

Out of curiosity to know what other people would think on this 
subject, the Occident has made some inquiries. 

Mrs. Maude Murray Miller, of the Columbus Dispatch , agrees 
with Miss Bates in abolishing cosmetics for young girls. She writes 
that the mothers should take action against the use of them and 
not the teachers, who are trying to teach other subjects. 

Mrs. Samuel Black, the founder of the Columbus Open Air 
School for Tubercular Children, said, “I know of no more pathetic 
sight than to see the face of a sweet young girl disfigured by the use 
of lipstick and rouge.” 

Mrs. Collicott, wife of J. G. Collicott, superintendent of schools, 
is out of town this week, but her daughter, Miss Ruth, spoke for 
her: “My mother does not believe in extremes of any kind and 
would certainly disapprove if my thirteen-year-old sister wanted 
to use cosmetics, but she thinks every woman has her own ideal 
of beauty and if cosmetics help to emphasize that ideal, it is her 
privilege to use them in moderation. However, she must understand 
her own type of beauty and apply cosmetics with judgment.” 

In Cleveland, the welfare organizations, the Anti-Tuberculosis 
League, the Cleveland Girls’ Council and the board of education are 
trying to impress upon the girls that the natural glow of the cheeks, 


116 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


and symmetrical development resulting from well-nourished bodies 
are much more beautiful than the painted face and boyish form of 
the so-called “drug store” beauties. 

— Occident, West High School, Columbus, Ohio 

The Feature Interview. Opportunities wait off the campus 
for interviews of national and local celebrities, with emphasis 
upon character study. Such articles give the paper a larger 
clientele and a wider outlook. About every third issue should 
carry such material. Here is the way a girl writer responded 
to the invitation to interview a charming actress. She re¬ 
produced the setting of her dressing room and built about 
Miss Fontanne an atmosphere of the stage. A panel head, 
stretching across the bottom of the front page, was used to 
display this feature. 

By Alberta Lyons 

It is a charming dressing-room in the Ohio Theater. 

There are gowns, old-fashioned and modern, and a dressing table 
covered with small jars which remind the conscience of a caller that 
Miss Lynn Fontanne is a famous, successful actress who must 
answer the constant demands of an enthusiastic public for inter¬ 
views, photographs, luncheons and “sittings,” and who, in intervals, 
turns loose a masterpiece of acting in “The Guardsman” and 
“Arms and the Man.” 

All this, however, the visitor does not realize till later, for on the 
threshold stands Miss Fontanne, radiating welcome. 

“Come in,” says Miss Fontanne, holding out a welcoming hand 
and smiling graciously. 

One instantly realizes that Miss Fontanne is decidedly English. 
Fair, beautiful, with mischief lurking in her eyes which makes 
her work in “Arms and the Man” so admirable, she gives the wit 
and discernment of Shaw full play in her performance of his ro¬ 
mantic satire. 

“The theater has been my chief delight since my childhood,” she 
said. “I am so busy learning new plays and going to rehearsals 
that I have little time for social affairs, or even,” she added rue¬ 
fully, “a vacation. I have found time, however (and I’m very 
thankful), to fall in love and get married. My husband and I 
enjoy our work together immensely. We criticize each other’s 
work both constructively and destructively, and we both benefit 
from it.” 


SPEECHES AND INTERVIEWS 


117 


Miss Fontanne and Alfred Lunt are among the pioneers in re¬ 
pudiating the old idea that husband and wife cannot work success¬ 
fully together. Mrs. Fiske and Mrs. Leslie Carter have also done 
much to smother this prejudice. 

Here Mr. Lunt, handsome, youthful, debonair, enters, extends a 
welcome, talking to his wife in a gay, bantering tone. 

“ School teachers? They’re the salt of the earth,” he smiles. 
“May they wave the ruler long and successfully.” 

In a few minutes Miss Fontanne makes ready for her stage en¬ 
trance. She is changed from a lovely, modern personality, to a 
romantic, fashionable lady of 1885. The bustle of her costume sails 
along bravely. Only the tips of her feet show; the skirt almost 
touches the floor. The modern girl is forgotten, and one revels in 
the portrayal of the hopes and ideas of an old-fashioned girl, who 
was not so old-fashioned after all. 

After the theater one jostles out with the crowd and hears the 
praise of an enthusiastic audience. On the street car I hang on a 
strap, watch the man across the aisle yawn noisily, and after an 
unsuccessful attempt to reach a seat, give up, muttering, “Go on! 
Bump me, step on my toes, mash my new hat, do anything you 
please. I saw her and talked to her, too.” 

— Journal, School of Education, Western Reserve University, Cleveland 


CHAPTER VIII 

FOOTBALL AND OTHER SPORTS 

Sports Is News. “ Well, it was a great victory. What was 
the final score? ” inquired the motorman as a crowd of happy- 
hearted Lincolnwood students swarmed aboard his car after 
the big game with Central High. 

“We beat them, we beat them,” exultantly cried a girl 
with sparkling brown eyes. “Buck Weaver ran sixty yards 
for a touchdown. Oh, wasn’t he wonderful!” 

“Yes, but what was the score?” persisted the motorman, 
as he clanged the gong to clear the track ahead. 

“Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Lincolnwood T-i-g-e-r-s! Rah! Rah! 
Rah!” came the answer in a riot of noise. 

“But what was—” persisted the motorman. He might 
as well have tried to carry on a conversation in a boiler 
factory. That crowd was too excited to pay attention. 

There is no need to tell any live human being that sports is 
a peppery brand of news. Sports weaves the same glamorous 
spell today as it did in ancient times. It abounds in thrills, 
in hero worship. Two teams are pitted against each other 
for victory. Both play their pluckiest. Which will win? 
How? By what score? Will Buck Weaver break loose and 
race across the goal-line? You wait expectantly to find out. 

You may count on the fingers of one hand at least five 
common factors that make stories of athletic events lively 
reading: (1) Struggle for supremacy, (2) uncertainty as 
to the outcome, (3) admiration for physical prowess, (4) 
spectacular plays by star performers, (5) stirring drama 
enacted before a crowd of excited partisans. 

Unlike many other types of news narratives, the sports 
story sounds the note of worthy achievement under pressure 
of difficulties. Crime, frustration, disaster, failure — so 

118 


FOOTBALL AND OTHER SPORTS 


119 


common to the average front page — here give way to 
health-building recreation. The sports page is charged with 
the high voltage of triumphant youth. It records success, 
prints the chronicle of gameness, courage, clean sportsman¬ 
ship, perfected skill. 

Not only do members of competitive teams learn the art 
of working together harmoniously for a common cause but 
spectators in the stands are similarly educated in things that 
count. Loyalty, the spirit of fair play, respect for the rules 
of the game are among the by-products of sports intelligently 
pursued. For that reason alone it deserves its popularity at 
the hands of students, instructors, and the general public. 

It should be remarked, however, that erection of huge 
stadiums for college football crowds has impelled many metro¬ 
politan high schools to adopt the same policy of expansion, 
often through expenditures seldom justified on any other 
ground than desire to keep up with rival schools. Perhaps 
the true spirit of the game is lost in the scramble for bigness 
and supremacy. 

Sports for Everybody. The old idea of interscholastic 
contests played by a small group of a limited number of 
crack athletes is fast giving way in many schools to a newer 
conception — that of mass athletics, a sport for every boy 
and girl. Thus classes and clubs have their own teams and 
compete actively against each other. Hockey, skating, 
archery, soccer, tennis, gymnastics, track meets, volley 
ball, baseball, basketball, golf — in addition to football — 
are now written large in the sports calendar and attract an 
increasing company of youthful enthusiasts. On some cam¬ 
puses it is not an unusual sight to see eight or ten baseball 
nines simultaneously engaged in boisterous play. 

The school paper that would encourage and record all these 
newly awakened athletic activities requires the services of a 
staff of specialists, instead of a lone sports editor who thinks 
that football played by a husky eleven is the only contest 
deserving extended notice. 


120 WRITING FOR PRINT 

Faults in Football Stories. Close scrutiny given a num¬ 
ber of school papers shows that the football story (almost 
universally printed in such publications the country over) 
is badly handled, both in organization of facts and in methods 
of literary presentation. 

Jubilant “kidding” of the defeated eleven on the part ot 
the sports writer, narrow partisanship, obscurity of thought, 
a tendency to imitate the gorgeous vocabulary of the pro¬ 
fessional sports expert, are easily found in many of these 
accounts of gridiron contests. 

The inexperienced sports writer will do well to remember 
that a straight news account is usually the better form for 
athletic contests. This does not mean necessarily that the 
story must be a dry, matter-of-fact recital told in chrono¬ 
logical order. In football, especially, there is a splendid 
opportunity for the reporter to display his descriptive 
powers. 

A football game has more real human interest connected 
with it than any other American sport. If the reporter can 
put into his story all the picturesque elements of the game, 
the noise, color in the grandstands, exciting plays, thrilling 
situations on the field, no narrative in the paper will be read 
more appreciatively. 

But the reporter must not be so carried away by his theme 
that the result is a long, rambling word picture which omits 
what people want to know, the facts; nor should he be 
led into the use of extravagant language under the impres¬ 
sion that he is speaking the vernacular of the sporting page. 
The most skillful sports writers of today — especially those 
who write the accounts of major league baseball games — 
are abandoning the exaggerated diction once so much used by 
baseball experts. A study of their reports will show the 
amateur that these stand upon their own merits as good 
news stories. He will soon learn that “Crangle went off 
left tackle for eight yards” is much more acceptable than 
' “The mighty Crangle, by a Herculean effort, ripped eight 


FOOTBALL AND OTHER SPORTS 121 

PENN-URSINUS OPENING LINEUP TODAY 



L. H. B. 

MURPHY 

2 

21-6.00-170 

F. B. Q. B. 

GENTLE SHOBER 
23 3 

19-5.10J-160 21-5.09-148 

R. H. B. 

SCULL (C) 

1 

21-5.08-185 


Left End 

OLEXY 

9 

20- 5.10J-163 

Left Tackle 

SMITH 

4 

23-6.01-179 

Left Guard 

MAGAI 

8 

21- 5.08 5-182 

Centre 

WESTGATE 

5 

22- 5.091-180 

Right Guard 

MONK 

7 

23- 5.10 5-203 

Right Tackle 

UTZ 

6 

20-5.10-202 



Right End 

DONALDSON 

7 

20-5.10-155 

Right Tackle 

STRINE 

10 

20-6.00-205 


Right Guard R. H. B. 

ALLEN YOUNG 

2 17 

20-6.00-180 21-5.09-175 

Centre Q. B. F. B. 

ALDEN MINK BLACK 

15 8 27 

20-5.11-170 21-5.09-175 21-6.01-190 


Left Guard 

WILKINSON 

12 

21-6.00-180 

Left Tackle 

HELFFRICH 

19 

21-6.00-180 


L. H. B. 

JEFFERS (C) 
9 

21-5.09-160 


Averages 
Line — 
Backfield — 
Team — 


Age 
21 3/7 
21 

21 1/11 


Right End 

BUCH 

21 

21-6.04-205 


Left End 

COBLE 

3 

19-5.11-180 


Weight 


Averages 


187 5/7 
165 3/4 
179 8/11 


Line — 
Backfield — 
Team —■ 


Age 

20 1/7 

21 

20 5/11 


Weight 

178 4/7 
175 

175 3/11 


Pennsylvania Substitutes — 


Ursinus Substitutes — 


10— SULLIVAN 

11— MULLIGAN 

12— BALL 

13— PINE 

14— WILNER 

15— KUEN 

16— RATOWSKY 

17— BOSENBLOOM 

18— SCHAINMAN 

19— SCHNEIDER 

20— CARREL 
22—URBAN 

24— JORDAN 

25— JUMP 

26— LOCKHART 


27— MASTERS 

28— OLSEN 

29— OPEKUN 
31—WELHAM 

34— BARRETT 

35— FARLEY 

36— HADNOT 

40— WARREN 

41— WILLIAMS 

42— BEAUMONT 

43— GERVIN 

44— KOFF 

45— LOOBY 

48— SMALLEY 

49— STEINER 


4—STERNER 
6—HESS 
11—LESHER 

13— CONOVER 

14— CLARK 
18—NEWCOMER 

21— SCHINK 

22— McGARVEY 
24—EGGE 


25— METCALK 

26— DOTTERER 

28— LENTZ 

29— MILLNER 

30— McBATH 

31— WATSON 

32— WATT 

33— HUNTER 


Referee — Ed. Thorp, De La Salle. 
Umpire — David L. Fultv, Brown. Field 
Judge — J. M. Moffatt, Princeton. Head 
Linesman — Geo. W. Hoban, Lehigh. 
Game Starts — 3 P.M. 


A Graphic Way of Summarizing the Lineup and Personal 
Data of a Football Game. Philadelphia Evening Bulletin 












122 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


yards through left tackle, leaving a half-dozen prostrate 
opponents in his wake.” 

In this connection, how many times have you seen these 
expressions on parade in sports stories: 


moleskin artists 
blue-jersied gladiators 
husky gridders 
pigskin sphere 
nip and tuck 
annexed a victory 
initial stanza 
crushed to the dust 
slapped out a neat single 
supreme effort 


aggregation 

mentor 

booted the oval 
stone wall of defense 
would not be denied 
ripped the line to shreds 
the locals 
shin smashers 
perished on the initial sack 
talented toe 


Advance Dope Story. To write a reliable forecast on the 
transformation of a football squad into an effective eleven 
requires canny judgment on the part of the sports writer. 
Many a “smart” reporter spins fairy stories on the sterling 
work of individual players and the pleasant prospect of 
victory. The excessively optimistic yarn often displeases the 
coach and gives false confidence to the team. 

The dope story can be well done if the reporter is supplied 
with facts and “ quotes.” Here is a fair sample of such 
reporting: 

The Central squad will meet its third Iowa opponent Saturday 
afternoon at 2:30. The Thomas Jefferson high school team of 
Council Bluffs will be here at that time, in an effort to repeat their 
27 to 14 victory of last year. 

The down-river school is said to have a good team this year. 
They lost last Saturday's game to Lincoln, 24 to 0, but Lincoln is 
considered to have the best prep grid team in Nebraska, and a 
defeat under these circumstances cannot be readily used as a 
gauge of the Tee Jay's strength. Central’s win over Fort Dodge has 
put them in a leading place in the race for state championship claims, 
and a victory either way in the coming game will have a strong bear¬ 
ing on such claims. 

The Maroon aerial attack has come in for much practice during 
the week, and the defense against passing has also been strengthened. 
Rains the early part of the week forced Coach Martin to hold 


FOOTBALL AND OTHER SPORTS 


123 


LINCOLN STOPS EAST TECH, 17-16; BOWS TO CENTRAL, 32-19 


Bruce,Beeves,Newcomers, 
Lead Weak Eastside Five 
AsLocalsLoseFirstGame 

Opponents Small Floor Handicap* President's /mmrtwlv; 
~Jrvboy” Tati a Lead* Red and White Attack With 
Total of Ten Point*; Subititutci Fail to Stop Sensational 
Rally of Civiietto'i Cagers. 


Faculty Bailing Team 
Wins From Trade School 

Linraln'l fir* horsemen, E. !_ Cook- 

■m j a Sm,io, c. n U k, mr . K 

Coekrsn and a M. Mitchell. emerged 
etortoss from an ivnui bow I in 
*1 »iih Trade School, 
a I- Cooloon, the leader of th 
had the highest Kort of the ev 
an avenge of 544 pint foe 


C ENTRAL HIGHS uil-tnd Senate team 
Coach Hayes Jenkins' Lincoln basketerrs ai 


proved a surprise to 
«1 ousted the Scranton 
Reader* from the Senate lead through a 32 to 19 victory at Central 
Friday Lincoln'* defeat leave* Collinwood the only unbeaten 
team in the major high school league 

Before the Central game, the Red and While eager* were making 
a fair bid for the Senate laurel* by winning successive victories 
Fast Tech and West Tech, two strong team*. But Central, featuring 
• revamped line-up and playing on i\s own small floor, stopped the local 
quintet and ended its own losing streak of three straight games. 

Bruce. Central's former junior high flash, who became eligible for 
first team play Friday wa* the main thorn in the Centra] attack. The 
diminutive colored forward looped in seven field goals for a total of 
14 point*, high scoring honors of the evening 

Reeves, another newcomer in the Central line-up, also found scoring 
comparatively easy and caged four held goals in the last quarter 
n cracked be lore a ifir- 

Locals Dotvn 
Carpenters 

Woolket, Skala Lead Attack 
In Spectacular Triumph 
rr Wot Ttch sod East Tveh wen not Oner East Tech . 
to evidence. The small *oor hampered . . . ' . . ... . 

. .nde*rre. Cm- ..*■ “T* ^ hrlped lanmln 

,„ _uk r,_ East Tech i eager* 17 to Id on 
sflte'i few.*. wor*^£ ^ ^ 

- — ■ • With Clidocd, Skala end Woollret 

playing * stellar came, the local 

Tocher looped a basket at the tip-off, 


Scrubs Win 
Two Tussles 

Seconds Rate /Vo Difficulty 
In Completing East Tech, 
Central Reserve*. 

With four former freshman itare mai- 
t their debut as areonds, Lmcoln's r<- 
vei easily vanquished Iba Central 


y o u to the van, 8 to 6 
Both teems hinted hrrrfty to the 
and quant*. with Central maintaining 
ha narrow margin. Baskets hr Hersko- 
wies. Brace and Abrams inerrased Cen- 
tnT, weal to 1« pants, while Oe* 
Tatka and Skala booatvd Ltocoto-f 



It >#* L*vr Weyik Am4 
(mfrrf, Cit /ate A 

*Favorite KnitV 

Soeotr Coat Or Sl.yoorr 

Favorite Knitting Mills 


e --> 

' iwtontialWHMw—J 



»7 

"1928 Style 
and how cute!” 

That'* what the young 
women are saying 
about this new pump 
nudeof bronie shade 
patent leather with 
decoration of brown 
suede. Baby Louis 
heels. Style 49*5 

Otoaae « $6 *° $8-50 

CHISHOLM 

Boot Shops_ 


>y how many poem the 
Ceeeh Floyd Blum, li 


- -to the first hal 

Troyan played throughout the tussle. 

The Bed and White five look the Ea 
Siden by surprise end at the quarter |ed 

second session Avefooe fow 
(he net lor three points, and Shir t 
an easy shot. At the I 


__. , _ _ final whistle. 

Cooeb Erie Calhoun's Eastsider* pot 
a a splendid uphill fi*hl At halftime 


rotor, having held Lincoln scoreless to 
te third quarter. 

Batorts by Tatka 



Du BreuiT* Challenger* 
Start Handball Scries 

0 attempt to deride who tl*capable 
of mertiog W W DuBreuA, handball 
chimp of Paris, 1912. Norman Star 
I0A of room 6, Charles Demin. I 
109. and George Moll, IIA 


defeat by both of his opponents, 21 ID 
■i and Zl to 14. 

The first game between Mol 
teotian was woo by George Mon by 
te score of 21 to 14. 

Otto Hubaetv. handball emhuri 
torn 410, was dtrively beaten by George 
leas by the score ol 21 to 4, 


"Phone Mercer for 
Flowerd’ 


Rowers 

mi w. zsth sc 


The veteran second team ' 
ag the last half sod pnxe 
erase the lead set by the fc 




I Shari led the Lincoln fire 
ring the final period. 


In defeating the East Tech a 
Friday, January S, with a score of 17-7, 
Lincoln', scrubs chalked up their third 
msecutrrv victory over senate teat 
Kletoham, lanky Lincoln emtrs 
high point acorvt with six posits. Troyan 
and Flash were close contenders with 


Junior Cage Team Trounces 
! South, West High Freshmen 

1 ! ..... a 

Junior Presidents Overcome Two More Obstacles in Race 
Foe Championship Toga; P. Huffman, Standring, May, 
falctcKka, RevU ock Form Nese Lin eup. 

Lincoln's fighting frtshman eager* a v e nged the defeat they received 
on the gridiron from South,-by.downing the Orange-and-Black quintet 
to the tune of 21 and 11, Friday afternoon, February J. The game, the 
fifth straight victory for Coach Floyd Blum’s champions hip-bound five, 
probably the slowest ever played oo their home floor. 

Slosr or fast, it brought them a step closer to the much sought 
Junior Senate toga. Now, only next week's game with Central divides 
them and the flag 

Front the opehing whistle the Scranton Readers swept the East 
Sides* from their fret. Standring first found tbe net and made the 
opening score. Palctchka increased it to four with • short shot. 

The first period ended with the Red-and-White eager* leading 9 to-2. 

registering a field gral. 
Standring and Revilok made • foul shot 
while Bush increased the South 


East Tech, each an 
Calhoun, Tech coach, pot to a. weak 
am to the first quarter.^ The thcck 


swsi 


iiB'l ioA'j Have High 
Percentage m, Standing 

Because St the cfoee of (he girls' bas- 


,___... first place, it 

derided that the following games 
> played Thursday. February 9. in a 
Round Robin" tourtamoX: 




r—a 0 x,qha| Atlantic SOI 

IIADwTdRY "cilANDB 

CleaaJag. Premia* and 
Repairing 


FRIENDS 

IN high aebool dayi, many friendahipa are established which la»t a 
1 lifetime. Let the United Bank become a friend of yoora during 
high school days. It would mean a frtootjahlp worth keeping for • 
lifetime. 

Student* And (netruetoes to CTervlamTl Ugh aehoola an cordially 
tovttod to bank to* 

THE UNITED BANK , 

Went 25th gad Lorain Opp. Wat Side Martlet 


DINE AND DANCE 

NEW WORLD DINING HALL 


DANCE MUSIC TUBES TIMES DAILY BY t 
NEW WORLD ORCHESTRA 
Fleer Shew Every Saturday Night I 
Cover Charge Saturday Night Only 


Cagers Advance to Seconds 

Former Froth Batkrleen Rote Play With Reserve Team 



Amateurs Bow 
To Log Five 

Journalist* Dotm Keystone*, 
Archteood Congregational, 
Emmanuel Luther, 


basket while Flash nude !> 


At the end of the first qi 


... January 25 John Flash and Walter 
Leech played a stellar game and helped 
Stiff basketball fin to dm' 


Annual Track Meet 
Will Be Held Soon I 

Coach Volimar May Hot Enter 
. Lincoln Runners its E vent* 
At Public HalL 

The fifth irfcrschotasiic track and field 


be followed, 
school • 

will be run off to the afternoon; 
high and tprcial feature college ■ 
are scheduled for the evening. 


ret last. week. Many scholastic 
ora all parts of Ohio expected to 
*v to the special national open cvi 
Under the rules of the Ohio 
School A,Net* 




rding to. Coach Votlma/. Lincoln 
- enter the id — 


ns copped second place. 


New Electric Bell Cause* 
Girl* to Dress Hurriedly 

Bcrl gjrrt Obi Therv goes the bell 
tsd Tm not half dtvssed. Such art 
murk, heard to (he girl's dressing l 
ow that the new electric bell has 

TV ringm( means that the altered JFf 
tinotes foe dressing* is up sod the ftels 
_rv to go to the gym Miss Loretta 
Potter allows them minutes to reach 


Edward VondruEek 

POULTRY 
n*4 Went 44th St 


I— 

Clevel 


Cleveland Metal 
Specialties Co. 
D«lgnen and Makers of 
CLASS PINS 
RINGS 

MEDALS., CHARMS 
FRATERNITY 
JEWELS 

"Let Ug Design That New 
Club Pin for You" 



KEWPEE HOTEL 



Chill 

SNAPPY SERVICE 


How Cagers Stand 
In Senate League 


Lnet Week's ! 

l(e/«to—19 

Bssl ll.nk-29 


Cl,oil —57 
5euifi-l9 
•li High —IS 


Local Cagers 
To Tackle 
West High 

Qefnmons, Woolket, Cessner, 
Tatka, Skala WiU Start 
Against Coach Sehapp’s 
Cagers in Contest, Friday 

In spile of tin feel that Lincoln luf, 

ends of Central last week, the Scranton 
Roadeu should romp over West High 
'nday, February IQ, on the home court. 
The Blue and While fivv tavs rut 
-red severe losses by mid-year gradtto. 
cot- At that lime Lanning. Smith and 
/alien, three of their best men, left the 
am That their services are sorely 
used is evinced by the fact that the 
West Stderi lost a 46-15 derision to 
Joto, Adam, last week. Not a »mgle 
by the Franklin 


it the. score, the Leo 
tanuel Luther, 20-19. 
. Every member ol 



ptoyed later to 
the Lap Staff era 
victors by a 11-6 *eor» 


KtVt 


310 Basketeer* Challenge 
Lincoln Homeroom Team* 


Willis Manas, manager and center; C 
ake and Edward Hesoetcr, f 
-Jewboy- Tatka, and Emil I 


5c HAMBURGS 5c 

Got Thant Across tbe Street 


MOLITERS 


Cyrrtmt (Efjpatn* 

Fulton R4. and Went (let 84. 


Cary Cooper to 
“NEVADA" 

2am* Grey H'rrlrvn 


KRAMER & SILL 

TAILORS 

11X2 W. 25(A St. ATLANTIC U« 


When Better lee Cream l* Usds 

BAUMS’ 

WIO Make U 

Baum Ice Cream Co. 

AUaatle lJOO-Ol-Ol 


•enue boys is 

Nevertheless, to sptoa ofyuch hsndi- 
pt, teams are often a&e to make a 
>ftd showing. Last year, although West 
igh ton some "of her. stars, the Blue 
and White quintet gave tbe Lintnla 6*, 


The Ltocoln lineup will probably be 
Cle mm ons end Tadca, 'forwards, Wool, 
center; Skala and Geasncv, guards 
West High, Track and Lei son will 
as forward,. Small, center, and 
Dader and Trvslty, guards Lelson. who 
ras high point man for his lent in the 
tdaras nmr. made eight pomes, Tina 
ty made lie. 

The fact that (he dh la to take place 


i the Weal Tech g 
mst to Sept up if Laacoto taxes to 
serge with Weal High'l scalp this Fit 

If the bde should turn agmliM Lto- 
dn. Coach Jenkins has two capable 
tostitule* to Strutar and Wemsry 



YOUNG 
MEN 

Young men today 1 
caking a keener Interest 
in their appearance. 
More and more of them 
are finding that the 
W B Davit Co has 
exactly the style* they 
want, at the price* their 
parent* age willing to 



TIE WB DAVIS CO 


A Sports Page Using a Streamer 

This makeup is certain to attract and hold attention by reason of its 
headline and art display. Note how the advertisements are grouped solidly 
at the bottom of the page, thus giving full play to the news. 




















































































































124 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


practice at Grandview park, but drills at Gilman’s terrace were re¬ 
sumed last night. Changes have been made in the lineup these 
sessions, the weak spots being strengthened by the grooming of 
substitutes. < 

Although veterans will probably be given choice in the starting 
lineup, the right tackle position and that of fullback are still doubt¬ 
ful. Others who will probably start are Hoberry and Vincent, ends; 
Johnson, left tackle; Siegel and Luce, guards; Soelberg, center; 
Brubacker, quarter; and Linfor and Piper, half. 

The game will probably be every bit as interesting as the tilt with 
the Dodgers last Saturday. A game will be played between the 
East high and Sloan, Iowa, elevens as curtain raiser. This is 
scheduled to start at 1:00 o’clock. 

— Central High Record, Sioux City, Iowa 


Technique of the Game. The reporter should remem¬ 
ber that the writing of a football narrative is crowded 
with many difficulties. Football has grown to be a highly 
specialized, technical contest. It is growing more so every 
day. Few persons indeed (other than a professional coach or 
a man thoroughly experienced as a player) are able to an¬ 
alyze intelligently a football game when finished. 

For this reason, one of the most important rules for a 
football writer to observe — even though he is experienced 
— is to get in touch with some official after the game, pos¬ 
sibly one of the coaches or some other authority, and ask 
him to explain matters that are not clear. It is best to 
make arrangements for this meeting before the contest. 

Another suggestion is to secure the services of some one 
who knows the players of the opposing team. This man 
can name the players the writer does not know, thus elim¬ 
inating all guess work. Most writers are too prone to be¬ 
lieve that they can always “spot” the players of both teams, 
with the result that some athletes are often credited for 
spectacular plays in which they did not participate. News¬ 
papermen often seat themselves in the press box, in order to 
give mutual assistance in identifying players. 

Writing the Story of a Game. In preparing to write 


FOOTBALL AND OTHER SPORTS 


125 


the story the reporter takes notes on all details as the game 
progresses, but watches for the high lights, the main features 
around which the story is to be built. He searches for the 
unusual. He tries to get a clear impression of how the stars 
of the two teams have acquitted themselves. He watches 
for the breaks in the game; and when the last whistle has 
blown, he tries to formulate a conclusion on how, when, and 
why the tide of victory swung back and forth, and how the 
winning of the game was accomplished. 

When the reporter writes his story he must carefully 
consider his lead. In almost every case, it should include 
the score, then a brief summing up of the game, and, if ex¬ 
pedient, the play upon which victory hinged. 

You will find the following types of lead sentences helpful 
as guides, since each succeeds in pocketing the big feature 
of the contest: 

The score: 


Manual’s 6-0 defeat of North, Saturday morn¬ 
ing at the hilltop stadium, marked the first 
Bricklayer victory over the Vikings since 1910. 

The Norsemen displayed none of the fight that 
characterized them in the South game last week. 
Twice in the first quarter they were within the 
four-yard line and were unable to take the pig¬ 
skin over. 

Cause of victory (or defeat): 

Two field goals by Charle of Bowen defeated 
the Englewood gridders, 6-0, in a bitterly fought 
battle, at Normal Park last Saturday. 

Size of crowd: 

Playing before the largest attendance of foot¬ 
ball fans who have ever witnessed a game at 
Duncombe Field, the Dodger’s undefeated eleven 
whipped their ancient northern rivals, Mason 
City, to the pleasant tune of 19-0, Thanksgiving 
day. In spite of the fact that the Mohawks had 
played the entire season without a victory, they 
put up a hard fight and gave the Dodgers a 
battle, but were unable to stop the Dodger at¬ 
tack or to penetrate its defense. 








126 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Spectacular play: 

By completing five forward passes and crash¬ 
ing through the Washburn line for numerous 
gains, Central’s gridders made eleven first downs 
and defeated Washburn 26-0 on the Red and 
Blue field last Friday. 


Weather: 

In a steady downpour of rain that made the 
gridiron a slippery field of mud, a small crowd of 
“slickered” spectators watched the Wild Kits 
defeat the Cardinals last Saturday by a score of 
12 - 0 . 

Hero of the day: 

Captain Dave Chizer, scoring twelve of his 
team’s points, led the Heights’ gridiron warriors 
to an easy victory over Conneaut last Saturday, 

26-0, in the initial game of the season. 

Figurative: 

Northwestern’s Wildcats clawed and scratched 
Butler’s growling bulldogs for two touchdowns 
and a 14-0 victory before 35,000 spectators at 
Dyche stadium yesterday in the opening contest 
of the Purple gridiron schedule. Then, to prove 
that he had reserve strength, lack of which has 
been bemoaned in Evanston, Coach Hanley sent 
his reserves against Roger Kiley’s Loyola outfit. 

The reserve strength took it on the chin, 13-6. 

Following the lead the reporter frequently sums up the 
game in a general description, citing the outstanding features. 
He includes the principal runs, bucks, and passes. He tries 
to make it a running narrative, comprehensive and vivid, 
after which he comments on the work of individual players, 
especially those who have gained such prominence as to be 
generally known. Readers are always interested in this 
phase of the contest, and it is a good way with which to end 
the story. A play-by-play summary is also readable stuff, 
though it fills considerable space. 

Impressions. Short miscellany bearing on the game, in¬ 
cluding comments on the crowd, gridiron incidents, individual 
players, makes interesting reading in connection with the 










FOOTBALL AND OTHER SPORTS 


127 


big story. Such paragraphs may be compiled under an at¬ 
tractive label, such as “Sport Shorts/’ “The Water Boy,” 
“Siftings.” The following clipping makes the idea clear: 


Sport 

Sparks 


By Forest M. Pester 

Whaddaya mean, substitutes? With a com¬ 
plete new eleven representing Central last Friday 
late in the second half, the Central score was 
swelled by six more points. 


Despite the fact that Mel Johnson got in the 
way of Louis Hedges and was knocked into a 
backward somersault, Louis went right on for a 
necessary four-yard gain to make a first down in 
the third quarter. 


Louis Ginsberg and his eight quart bottles of 
Chippewa drinking water were much in demand 
Friday. No, Louis is not studying to be a milk¬ 
man, the milk carrying apparatus was just for 
convenience. 


“Pat” Walling’s brave attempt to get Mel 
Johnson’s first heave was rewarded when he 
scooped the ball from the tops of the grass 
blades to complete the first Red and Blue pass. 


It happens at least once every year. A referee 
gets in a Central ball carrier’s way and sticks like 
a shadow for five or ten yards. 


Eddie Du Lac gave the Millers plenty to do. 
He tore through them for gains ranging from 
five to 35 yards. 


Mel Sorum did not waste much time in catch¬ 
ing a pass and making a touchdown after getting 
into the game. 

— Central High News, Minneapolis 
















128 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Track Story. A track meet is an individual proposition 
and is perhaps the hardest kind of article to make interesting. 
The hundred-yard dash, the quarter-mile, and half-mile races 
are usually the most readable material; sometimes the relay 
contests make a thrilling story. If any records are broken 
or if one team scores, these facts are worth mentioning in the 
lead. Usually the account opens with a simple record of the 
score. 

Here is a well-written track story: 

Coach Guy Kesler’s team of Central High track athletes in a 
preseason dual meet practice session defeated the classy North 
High squad of performers at the Ohio Stadium Tuesday, April 20, 
by the score of 68-49. 

Bob Tittel, a veteran of many forms of athletic competition, 
chose to start the track season by breaking the city record for the 
javelin, hurling the spear a distance of 161 feet, surpassing the 
former measurement made by “Red” Evans, a teammate of last 
year, by six feet. Bob also took first place in the broad jump and 
third in the high jump. 

Central took advantage of both means of scoring points, placing 
well in the dashes and winning the largest majority of the weights 
events. North acquired their points mostly through the low and 
high hurdles, the pole vaulting and the dashes. 

Central was well represented by Brewer, Phelps, Tittel, Nensteil 
and Thomas. Brewer took first place in the 100-yard dash and in 
the 220-yard dash. Phelps took two seconds, one in the 100-yard 
dash and the other in the 440-yard dash. He also took third in the 
90-yard high hurdles. Nensteil took two seconds, in the 160-yard low 
hurdles and in the 880-yard dash. Thomas emerged from three 
weight events holding first in the shot, and two seconds, discus and 
the javelin. Dud Stock got first in the discus and Bevin won the 
mile. Thus most of the points of Central were checked up. 

North’s flashes were Lentz, Hannum, Reese, Knavel and Doherty. 
Lentz entered four events, copping first in the 160-yard low hurdles 
and in the 90-yard high hurdles, tied for second with Hamilton of 
Central in the 220-yard dash, and finished fourth in the 880-yard 
dash. Hannum came in first in the 880-yard dash with Reese first 
in the 440-yard dash. Knavel swung himself the highest of the pole 
vaulters, and Doherty leaped to first place in the high jump and 
second in the broad jump. 

— Central Outlook, Central High School, Columbus 


FOOTBALL AND OTHER SPORTS 


129 


Baseball Story. The baseball story, like the football story, 
is concerned with team play, and high points of the game 
should therefore be featured. In baseball it is not so much 
a matter of team effort physically as team skill, and this 
fact should be brought out in writing up the game. There 
is more opportunity for humor in the baseball story than in 
football. Here is the lead of a color story, told with a dash 
of humor: 

By James R. Harrison 

There were three on and two out, the score was tied and it was 
the ninth inning of the big game. Now, in such a setting Ralph 
Henry Barbour would have had the modest hero step up and slam 
one over the fence while 60,000 roared their acclaim of the great 
man. 

Or if Frank Merriwell had been pitching he would have sent over 
a snaky curve and fanned the batter and then would have won the 
game himself with a hit in the next inning. 

But reality is not always as glamorous as fiction and sometimes 
falls short. For in just such a situation at the Yankee Stadium 
yesterday the pitcher wound up and tossed one where no catcher 
has ever stopped the ball. The little white pill slithered off the 
glove and rolled to the stand; a runner raced in from third and the 
world’s series was over — with the Yankees new champions in four 
straight victories. . . . 

— New York Times 

Basketball Story. Basketball is played too swiftly to allow 
the game to be chronicled play by play. In writing up this 
type of sports review, it is best to record the plays by 
quarters. A summary may be made of the score, who made 
the scores, the fouls and free throws. The analytical lead, 
telling why a team won, and the type of defense it met, is a 
good opening for a basketball yarn. A sample: 

Holding their own in the first period and displaying a fast break¬ 
ing offense in the last half of the game, the Holton Wild Cats de¬ 
feated the Hiawatha Indians at Hiawatha Friday night, by a score 
of 27-15. 

The game opened with Dale scoring on a charity toss. Hiawatha 
evened the count and then went ahead on free throws donated by 


130 WRITING FOR PRINT 

the Holton players. Scoring in the initial period was slow and the 
quarter ended with the score 6 all. 

The second quarter was slower than the first with little scoring be¬ 
ing done by either team, and with both sides playing rather roughly. 
The half saw the score still tied at 11 apiece. 

After a talk by Coach Smith, the Wild Cats came back stronger. 
The second half was featured by Holton’s fast breaking offense. The 
Wild Cats were playing their defense so well that the Hiawatha 
players were nearly always covered. 

The Indians could not solve the fast teamwork of the Blue and 
White and the Wild Cats were not missing many, so the final gun 
found the Holton team in the lead with a safe margin of 12 points. 
The Blue and White made 16 points to 4 for the Indians in the 
second half. Captain Blossom and McKee, a Hiawatha guard, 
were taken from the game on personal fouls. G. Day, Hiawatha 
star forward, was held to three free tosses by the strong defense of 
the local team. 

— Holtonian, Senior High School, Holton, Kansas 


CHAPTER IX 
BY-LINE STORIES 

An Exciting Bullfight. One of the authors of this book 
will never forget his introduction to the by-line. He had 
been sent to report the big day of a county fair. The fair 
officials had announced horse races as the chief attraction 
of the afternoon, but in the effort to bring out a crowd had 
decided to put on an additional spectacle, a real Spanish 
bullfight. 

Ed Shaw, a young farmer, was to be the proud toreador. 
Mounted on a raw-boned nag he was advertised to meet a 
fiery bull in deadly combat, and at the end dispatch it with 
one thrust of his sword. Promise of such exciting sport 
filled the grandstand with noisy spectators, and incidentally 
brought A1 Dunlap, the county humane officer, hurrying to 
the race track, determined to prevent cruelty to animals. 

To tell the story briefly: Everything went wrong. First, 
Ed fell off his horse; then the “savage” bull refused to 
charge his “tormentor” with lowered horns, and continued 
to munch grass. Finally, some barking dogs decided to 
chase both the horse and bull, with the result that the nag 
ran away and threw Ed Shaw over the fence. Aside from a 
little trotting exercise, the bulks philosophical calm was not 
disturbed by the proceedings; but the spectators angrily 
demanded return of their money. A1 Dunlap, humane 
officer, never got into the picture at all. 

The story of the bullfight began at the beginning and 
ended with the climax, Ed Shaw’s somersault and disgrace. 
The narrative sped along easily, adding description, charac¬ 
terization, and byplay. It kept up the suspense until the 
final moment. 


131 


132 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


When the reporter picked up the paper next morning, 
he experienced one of the thrills of his life. On the front 
page, under a two-column head, appeared his story, with 
his name attached as author. The by-line! True, some 
improvements in wording and sentence structure had been 
supplied by the copy reader. Substantially, the story was 
printed as written. 

Why did the description of this burlesque bullfight earn 
a by-line and front-page position? Probably because the 
low comedy of the affair tickled the funny bone of the reader; 
also because the reporter had succeeded in breaking away 
from conventional grouping of facts and had described the 
bullfight with some suggestion of freshness and originality. 
No essential information had been sacrificed. Names, 
setting, concrete particulars gave proof that the story was 
true. The writer's purpose, however, was primarily to en¬ 
tertain the reader, rather than hurl solid facts at his 
head. 

Probably makers of such diverting human-interest narra¬ 
tives would warmly endorse the point of view expressed by 
Washington Irving, who has brought delight to many readers 
through his whimsical sketches. He writes: 

If, however, I can by any lucky chance, in these days of evil, rub 
out one wrinkle from the brow of care, or beguile the heavy heart of 
one moment of sorrow — if I can now and then penetrate through 
the gathering film of misanthropy, prompt a benevolent view of 
human nature, and make my reader more in good humor with his 
fellow beings and himself, surely, surely, I shall not then have 
written in vain. 

A Dog's Funeral. Suppose, now, we turn our attention to 
another type of story, one recording the death of a Scotch 
terrier and how he was honored by a military funeral. A 
member of the Boy Scouts troop told his father about the 
tragedy and the burial. The father relayed the information 
to a young reporter. Hence the accompanying signed 
story: 


BY-LINE STORIES 


133 


By Joseph Ator 

Jock is dead, but the grief of Troop 23 of the Glencoe Boy Scouts 
at his passing was softened today by the knowledge that he had a 
burial fully fitting his rank and honor as a warrior. 

Jock was a Scotch terrier, one of those alert, shaggy little black 
fellows with a ferocity in battle entirely out of proportion to his 
weight and his ludicrously long wheelbase. His legal title and 
principal affections rested with Col. Louis Waefelaer, scoutmaster 
of the troup, but he belonged as well to every boy in the troop, 
whose mascot he was. 

Saturday several of the boys took him with them on a hike. 
Jock trotted gayly ahead, eyes bright with the prospect of a fight 
or a frolic with an Airedale which he sighted across the road. But 
he failed to see the speeding automobile, which left him a crumpled, 
convulsive bundle in the road. 

The scouts carried him to the side of the road. He licked the 
hands with which they laid him down, snapped once at the an¬ 
tagonist whom he couldn’t see thru dimming eyes and died. 

The boys carried him back to his master. Col. Waefelaer was 
about to bury him in the rear of his home, when they inter¬ 
vened. Jock, as a member of the troop, should have a more for¬ 
mal funeral. 

At church yesterday some of them spoke to Rev. John K. Coolidge 
rector of St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal church. Their earnestness con¬ 
vinced him that there was nothing unseemly about his officiating 
at a dog’s funeral. 

He came, and addressed the whole troop, drawn up in uniform 
beside the grave. He told them of the lesson which they might 
draw from the faithfulness and courage of Jock. 

Then, with the troop standing at salute and the bugler sounding 
“taps,” Jock was lowered to his grave. 

— Chicago Evening Post 

Reading of this little masterpiece indicates that in some 
ways it resembles the structure of the short story. Dominant 
tone is maintained throughout the narrative. Not a single 
verbal discord mars the dignity of the description. The 
story moves quickly to its goal, the lowering of Jock’s coffin 
into the grave. The reporter attempts no moralizing. He 
aims rather to portray a dramatic situation and to create 
sympathy, not by means of words ingeniously arranged but 


134 


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by faithfully setting down little impressionistic details that 
blend into a vivid prose picture. 

Sources of Feature Material. “What shall I write 
about?” is a question that assails almost every reporter as 
he sets out to produce a feature story. The idea is the 
important thing; without it composition of any kind is a 
waste of words. A few hints are herewith offered to the 
amateur as he sets out to gather material. 

Observation and Investigation. Choice feature material 
is unearthed by observation as you go about covering some 
regular news beat assigned you. 

So many ambitious writers think of the remote, abstract, 
unrelated thing as the interesting thing. They are like 
the deck hand swept from a freighter in a gale. Struggling 
for life in the very middle of Lake Erie, so the story goes, 
the man finally clambered aboard a piece of wreckage. For 
two days and two nights on that floating raft, he suffered 
the pangs of hunger and thirst. On the morning of the third 
day he was picked up by a passing barge. As his rescuers 
bent over him, he cried in anguish, “ Water! Water! Water! ” 
Amazed, a sailor threw a bucket overboard and drew it up 
brimming with water, which the deck hand drank eagerly. 
And yet he had been within easy reach of that water all the 
time. 

Whether writing for a school newspaper or for a more 
pretentious publication, the challenge to seek and to find 
within the boundaries of one’s own home town and one’s own 
experience should not go unanswered. A little poem sums 
up the matter rather neatly: 

He wrote of lords and ladies, 

A king filled him with awe, 

He wrote of countless millions, — 

He lived in Arkansas. 

His tales indeed were many, 

His sales, alas, were few, 

He wrote of things he read about, 

And not of things he knew. 


BY-LINE STORIES 


135 


The following story of the death of the last of the cza¬ 
rinas combines investigation with painstaking observation. 

By Arthur Stratton 

Old Russia is dead. Marie Fedorovna is dead. The czarina, 
last of the Russian rulers, was buried in the Roskilde Cathedral in 
Copenhagen on October 20. 

Last week memorial services were held for the old empress, once a 
Danish princess, at Saint Alexander's, Washington's only Russian 
Church. The ugly, squalid little house, one of a row of red brick 
structures, is hidden away in one of the poorer sections of the city. 
The service was held at high noon on Sunday, October 21. 

As I entered a small taper was handed to me by a stocky, bearded 
old man, whose sad dark eyes, moist with tears, gleamed in the 
dimly lighted hallway. 

The church was draped in black and white cheese cloth. More 
costly cloth would have been beyond the means of such a humble 
parish. Holy pictures and portraits of some of the former czars 
covered the walls. A simple altar stood at one end of the room, on 
which stood a large candle in a brass stick and an icon depicting 
the Madonna and Child. 

A small group of men and women stood in one corner of the room, 
singing unaccompanied by any instrument; this was the choir. 

The priest, robed in vestments of white and black, stood before 
the altar, swinging a censer. A small blond boy with great sad 
eyes, dressed in white and red, attended the priest. 

The chapel was silent, save for the chanting of the priest, the 
choir, and an occasional creaking floor board, which gave as we 
knelt. I understood no word of the Russian service, yet I got the 
underlying meaning, and was sad. That was all. 

I went out, exchanged greetings with a few persons I knew. No 
one spoke of Marie Fedorovna, but these were the only ones who 
really mourned the death of Russia's once mighty empress. Alas 
for the glory that was Russia. Old Russia is truly dead. 

— Central Bulletin, Central High School, Washington, D. C. 

A reporter on a Milwaukee paper, assigned the court¬ 
house run, encountered the record of a suit for damages 
brought by a man against a real-estate firm from which he 
had bought a lot. That item in itself is not alluring. In¬ 
vestigation developed other facts. The writer presented 


136 


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them through the medium of bright conversation, quick 
marching sentences, frequent paragraphs. Here again sus¬ 
pense holds until the final period. 

By Tom Vickerman 

One day recently Mrs. Charles Budd of Wauwatosa said to her 
husband: “Charlie dear, I’d like a new house.” 

“All right,” said her husband. “What kind do you want?” 

“Well,” said Mrs. Budd, “I’d like a house with a tree in the 
back yard.” 

“All right,” said her husband, “we’ll build a house.” 

So they bought a new lot and started to build their new house. 
When it was finished they moved in and lived happily for almost 
two weeks. 

And then one day a stranger came to the door. The stranger 
said: “It’s a fine house you’ve built here.” 

“We like it,” said Budd, pleased. 

“There’s a fine tree in the back yard,” added Mrs. Budd. 

“It’s too bad,” said the stranger, “but the tree belongs to me. 
And so does the lot. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the house did 
too! ” 

“You’re crazy!” shouted Budd. 

“We’ll look up our deed.” threatened Mrs. Budd. 

They did look up the deed. The deed showed that the Budds 
owned a lot — but it was the lot adjoining the one they had built 
their house on. 

Today Budd filed suit against the real-estate firm that sold him 
the lot, for the costs of moving his house on to his own lot. Budd 
claims he bought a lot with a tree on it. The real-estate firm says 
there was no tree and that Budd instructed the contractor to build 
on the wrong lot. 

John P. Sadler, 4356 Pabst ave., owner of the disputed lot-, con¬ 
sented to the removal of the house, which might technically be 
considered his property. But Mrs. Budd is sad — because the new 
lot has no tree in the back yard. 

Official Records. Investigation of rather uninspiring offi¬ 
cial records may disclose stories of wide interest. Routine 
sources of news, such as class lists, classroom activities, and 
grades of scholarship, may prove a fruitful field for the enter¬ 
prising reporter. This sort of “original research” is quite 
different from the job of compiling matter-of-fact brevities, 


BY-LINE STORIES 


137 


since little hint is given the reporter in advance. Like a 
pointer dog, he must find his covey of news in the under¬ 
brush of the commonplace, perhaps in the school directory, 
within a card index, possibly buried in some lengthy, statisti¬ 
cal report. When he gets the scent of the story he wants, 
the task of following it to its conclusion becomes relatively 
easy. 

The story attached herewith shows how the reporter used 
the axiom, Names make news. 

By Mildred Chaffee 

So singeth we now to the tune of the Funeral Dirge. Alas and 
alack! Woe unto us for the fair name of Mary is slowly fading out 
of existence to be replaced by the prettier name of Margaret, alias 
Mag or Peg, whichever you prefer. 

Would you actually believe it? There are approximately twice 
as many Margarets in this school of ours as there are Marys. Just 
glance at this list and see if your name is here (if your name is 
Margaret). Of course we can’t write all the Margarets’ names down 
here, but this will give you some idea of them. 

Margaret Anderson, Margaret Burns, Margaret Devine, Mar¬ 
garet Dowd, Margaret Donovon, Margaret Egan, Margaret 
Gyana, Margaret Golia, Margaret O’Milia, Margaret McCormick, 
Margaret Mahoney, Margaret Moran, Margaret Strauss, Margaret 
Sweeney, Margaret Yasas, Margaret Wright, Margaret Eaton, and 
Margaret Graveson. 

You see we have all types in B. H. S. Some are thin, some fat, 
some are blonds, others brunettes (or maybe red-heads), some are 
tall, others shprt, while some are “the happy medium,” some are 
serious, others are happy-go-lucky, but they are all very nice girls 
of that you may be sure. 

Oh! we beg your pardon boys! We really didn’t want to slight 
you. What is the most common name among the boys? Well, 
let’s see. Yes, it is John. How many Johns are there all together 
in the school? We don’t know for sure, but we do know that in 
one session room alone (it happens to be 323) there are seven 
Johns, and think of all the boys’ session rooms there are! But 
never mind, boys (this is exclusively for the Johns) John is a fine 
old name. There were some fine Johns in the past, and there will be 
many in the future, and we know that those today are just as nice. 

— Criterion, Bridgeport, Connecticut 


138 


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Visits and Excursions. Members of the class in feature 
writing in the Medill School of Journalism visit during the 
year various local institutions in quest of copy. Each writer 
listens to explanations by official guides, then seeks specific 
information on some outstanding feature that seems to offer 
material for a story. 

For example, twenty amateur scribes recently inspected 
the central plant of the Bell Telephone Company. They 
saw the switchboard in operation, chatted with the super¬ 
visors and “ hello girls,” found out about proposed changes 
in telephone equipment, then came back to their typewriters 
laden with copy. One of the stories written on this trip 
follows: 

By Ralph Noel 

Evanston phone girls are pleased with the new “sunshine board ” 
recently installed at the Evanston office of the Illinois Bell Tele¬ 
phone company. 

“We’re always looking at the board,” says one of the super¬ 
visors. 

You see, whenever a central receives a compliment from a patron, 
she notes it down, and the tribute is typewritten on a neat little card 
which is posted on this large board in the lunchroom of the tele¬ 
phone office. 

The scheme has been in operation since June 27, and already 
there are twenty-two cards with praises for prompt service, in¬ 
telligence, good voices, patience and courtesy. 

This compliment-sharing plan has interested the girls, who now 
try their best to earn a card of introduction to the mutual admira¬ 
tion society. 

“The first day the cards were posted on the board, you could 
hardly get near it for the crowd,” says J. M. Kimble of the traffic 
department. “Besides, this idea of broadcasting compliments has 
a good effect on the girls. It gets them to work in a positive way. 
They have something to work for, instead of merely avoiding 
complaints.” 

Phone girls in Evanston have reacted so favorably that other 
Bell telephone offices are trying the plan. An order has been sent 
to the Western Electric company for more of these sunshine boards 
with their margins of enamel bluebirds. 

F. A. De Puyster, general traffic manager for the state area of the 



BY-LINE STORIES 


139 

Illinois Bell Telephone company, suggested the sunshine idea, and 
the Evanston office was the first to work out his experiment. 

— Evanston, Illinois, News-Index 

Personal Experience. Another rich storehouse for feature 
stories is personal experience, closely allied to observation 
and investigation. 

Every person knows something that will instantly com¬ 
mand alert attention, if it is nothing more than the recital 
of how a big fish got away. A metropolitan newspaper 
recently published a series of articles relating the experiences 
of Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh on his record-making 
flight across the ocean. Another newspaper told the ad¬ 
ventures of a high school student who made a tour of Eng¬ 
land on a bicycle. 

Still another story swung around the adventures of a girl 
who served on Saturday as a clerk in a big dry-goods store. 
The article was entitled “ Something?” an inquiry directed 
toward prospective customers as they stopped in front of her 
counter. The use of the personal pronoun I heightened its 
appeal. 

If one’s experience has taught him how to do anything 
preeminently well, obligation rests upon him to tell others. 
No person has any right to bury a useful bit of information 
gleaned from his own life. He needs a megaphone attach¬ 
ment that will proclaim it to his friends. Compiling personal 
experiences should become a fascinating art, because the 
writer is reenacting a dramatic role in which he is the 
hero. 

The attached signed “experience” is typical of this sort 
of feature. It is objective in its point of view, and early 
in the story the basic fact snaps into place. 

By Hazel Barney 

Have you ever played nurse girl for one of the neighborhood’s 
“perfect babies”? If you haven’t, you’ve missed a lot, and per¬ 
haps it isn’t your fault if fate has favored you (so far). 

Early one Saturday morning Mrs. Brown phoned to ask if she 


140 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


might leave her two-year-old son Bobby at our house while she 
made a trip to town. And as luck would have it, mother consented 
after explaining that, although she wouldn’t be home, I would be 
delighted to take care of him. 

When I answered a knock at our door, Mrs. Brown deposited 
the sleeping infant in my arms with a promise to be back in an hour 
or so. She further confided that she thought Bobby would sleep 
peacefully until her return. 

No sooner had the door closed and I, with cautious steps, had 
withdrawn to the bedroom with my charge, than his eyes flew open 
and he let out one long, loud squall. His deep, throaty shrieks 
lasted for nearly 15 minutes with just enough time between each 
for a deep breath. 

Bouncing, gentle patting and pats (not so gentle) did not help at 
all. Finally the noise subdued a little and the shrill cries became a 
steady whimper. I gathered him into my arms and planted myself 
in a rocker with the firm resolve not to budge until I had put him 
to sleep once more. 

Humming, singing, whistling, rocking, nothing would put the 
child to sleep. I changed the song, the angle of the rocker by the 
window, and I even stopped singing (thinking that perhaps my voice 
wasn’t all it should be for crooning lullabies) but to no avail. 

An inquisitive hand snatched at my imitation pearls — rip — 
they scattered to the four corners of the room. Slap — and then a 
howl. Bobby decided this was a new game and immediately began 
pinching my cheek and then he made a “cunning” little scratch 
across my chin. Indeed, we were getting along quite well (at least 
he was quiet). 

After a few more pulls, scratches and twistings of my features to 
suit his baby fancy, I settled him on the floor and began to wind 
the phonograph. Smash went a choice bit of china as his baby 
fingers twined themselves in the lace-trimmed scarf and jerked it 
from its perch. Tear— no less than 15 pages were torn from my 
leather volume of Kipling’s poems. 

Hurrying as much as possible, I adjusted the needle prior to 
starting the record, but baby sat quietly, watching me closely. 
But no sooner had the first sweet strains of the waltz floated out 
than his mischievous fingers were busy again. 

This time he drew a number of records out of the music cabinet 
and one after another with lightninglike speed he smashed them 
against the chair. Angry and sick with despair I snatched him up 
and bounced him into a rocker and once more proceeded to put 
him to sleep. 


BY-LINE STORIES 


141 


I rocked furiously back and forth and sang, or rather shouted, at 
the top of my voice until he finally did drift into slumberland. 

Just an hour had passed! But what an hour! I was aroused by 
a knock at the door and Mrs. Brown quietly slipped into the room 
and with a nod gathered her son into her arms. 

“I knew he’d sleep all the while,” she murmured. “He isn’t 
any bother at all.” And with another nod she passed through the 
kitchen door. 

I couldn’t say a word. All I did was gulp and smile twistedly 
back at her. How thankful I was that she had not seen the debris 
scattered all over the living room floor. As I returned to straighten 
up what was left of the room I solemnly vowed never to take care of 
another “perfect baby.” 

— Lincoln Log, Lincoln High School, Cleveland 

The Confession Story. The confession story, unlike re¬ 
citals of personal experience, is not primarily concerned with 
action, nor does it present information on how a thing is 
done. A “confession” is an intimate record of personal life, 
felt by no one else except the writer and probably observed 
by no one else. It is a kind of diary of one’s inner life and 
often is so intimate that it is unsigned. 

To be interesting this revelation must be an honest ex¬ 
pression of ideas and feelings. Stories of childhood, of 
“embarrassing moments,” of homesickness, of long trousers 
and grown-up clothes are suggestions about which many 
young people have a story to tell — a story which, perhaps, 
reawakens kindred memories in the minds of readers. Older 
persons might write the same kind of reminiscence about 
their first jobs, their college days, their first disappointment, 
and their greatest happiness. 

A personal, informal style makes a “confession” convinc¬ 
ing and real. Take the reader into your confidence; bring 
in details that show your own point of view, but don’t 
indulge in self-pity. It is better to laugh at your foibles 
than to think of yourself as misunderstood and abused. 

The first sentence of the story should set the tone for the 
material that is to follow. It should lend a personal, con- 


142 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


fidential aspect, and should not delay the announcement 
of the writer's purpose. The coming story, as originally 
written, started with “To be marked thus among the un¬ 
fortunate few is one of the greatest tragedies of human life." 
Such a general, impersonal statement is entirely out of 
keeping with the rest of the story. Here is the account as 
finally revised: 

By Edythe Louise Dixon 

One of the greatest tragedies of human life is to be a red head. I 
know through sad experience. From earliest kindergarten days, a 
“red head” is exposed to the jibes of his or her associates and to the 
taunts of the older grammar school children. For the first four 
years of my life I had led a tranquil existence — unaware that my 
lot was so much worse than that of my playmates. But after I 
entered kindergarten, I was never again to be in doubt on that 
point. For the children there, cruel little savages, knowing that 
my orange-red hair was the weak spot in my armor, seemed to take 
an especial delight in making my life miserable. 

At first I was shamed almost beyond the point of endurance that I 
should carry with me always such a stigma of disgrace. Had I 
been a little older I might have felt much as Cain must have felt 
as he slunk about from place to place with a tell-tale brand on his 
forehead — except that I knew not what sin on my part had war¬ 
ranted such dire punishment. 

As the term “red head,” “sorrel top,” “red-headed woodpecker,” 
and all the rest with similar meaning and intent grew more familiar, 
my shame gave way to a gnawing, burning rage. I soon found that 
counter-retorts only called forth a greater deluge of arrows, so I 
adopted the policy of assuming a nonchalance which, however, only 
irked my tormentors to more heinous acts. 

So many, many times did I go home weeping over the cruelty of 
Fate that my poor mother took me out of public school, hoping to 
spare me some of the misery which my childish imagination and 
self-pity pictured. 

If a red head goes to the circus she is singled out as the one at 
whom the clown directs his “wisecracks.” When a theme is read in 
class it usually describes the ugly country girl as being red-haired 
and freckle-faced. Red heads are accused of being hot-blooded, 
quick-tempered, choleric, and a hundred and one other equally 
undesirable things. 

How many of you remember ever having heard of a sweet, red- 


BY-LINE STORIES 


143 


haired heroine in a play? Never have I heard of one. Always the 
heroine is the possessor of “glorious golden tresses” or “raven 
locks” — but seldom is she a “strawberry blonde.” 

And so my life continued — my self-respect falling lower and 
lower — until at last I joined the ranks of the famous Titian, who 
can claim as his disciples about ninety-nine and forty-four one 
hundredths per cent of all red heads. He it was who lifted us from 
our degraded position to a spot of eminence — yea, even envy. 
Titian, the liberator of the oppressed, the Lincoln of the down¬ 
trodden red head faction. No longer are we merely red heads; we 
are the proud possessors of Titian hair. What matters it that every 
conceivable shade of red, from vermillion to burnt orange, is termed 
“Titian” by its proud wearer? What matters anything since Titian 
introduced the red-headed woman into art! ’Tis true that women 
whom he paints have hair that is glorified by the illusion of an 
artist’s poetic imagination — but still, they are red heads. So, 
vice versa, we who are red heads have Titian hair. Q. E. D. 

Since the beginning of this era of Titianism, fat, pudgy women 
have dyed their straw-colored locks red — horrible yet rather 
fantastic. Girls with black hair have applied a henna rinse and the 
result, in most cases, has been a dusty black. Blondes, too, have 
joined the ranks. With the aid of “golden-glint” they have become 
Titian blondes. And one sees even grey-haired flappers who have 
mistaken the henna bottle for the fountain of eternal youth and are 
patterning their lives after that of Edna Wallace Hopper, once an 
actress and now a high priestess of beauty at so much per treat¬ 
ment. 

But back to the subject of red hair. After all my attempts to 
convince you and myself that red hair is justifiable, I must confess 
that I’m an utter failure. For I still abominate red hair. Now, I 
ask you, what is a poor woikin’ girl goin’ to do about it? 

— Daily Northwestern 

Seasons, Holidays, Anniversaries. Seasons of the year, 
holidays and anniversaries, birthdays of great men, re¬ 
creations, pastimes, and picturesque gatherings often furnish 
just the hub of interest necessary for a story. The writer 
has a subject fashioned to fit his hand; his task of elaborating 
the material is relatively simple. 

The following story catches the spirit of a Christmas 
party: 


144 


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By Doeothy Phillips 

Santa Claus and mistletoe at a faculty party! It does sound 
inconsistent, doesn’t it? But it’s true, ’cause we were there, and of 
all the sights we saw! You know, teachers are people, really. They 
laugh and cut up capers, just as the young ones do. 

We had carefully warned ourselves beforehand not to be bois¬ 
terous, and to behave like a lady, because you must remember we 
were going to a faculty party. We arrived early, as all reporters do, 
and were met at the door by an individual who insisted on placing 
a red paper cap on our head. Personally, we didn’t like the childish 
idea, but when we saw our principal, dean, organist and class di¬ 
rector donning them, as if they enjoyed it, we decided to wear ours. 
When in Rome, do as the Romans do, and that sort of thing, you 
know. 

The party was held in the girls’ gymnasium, which had been 
transformed into a Christmas bower by Miss Olga Hatley and her 
stagecraft boys. 

Some teachers, we found, are very fond of mistletoe, or perhaps 
it’s the sentiment associated with it. One tall member of the faculty 
waited vainly under the tiny sprig which hung from the doorway, 
for a shorter member of the faculty. She even had a chair ready 
for his convenience, and he failed to appear! Not to be daunted, 
she placed her chair under a more conspicuous sprig and there re¬ 
mained until the members of the boys’ quartet caught her unawares 
and carried out the old-fashioned custom — all four of them at 
once. Oh, how we did laugh! 

Did you ever see the tiny Miss Myrtle Clancy dance, the digni¬ 
fied H. H. Ryan fiddle, or the reserved Ward H. Green recite an 
original poem? We did, and they did, last night, and there were 
other numbers to add to the enjoyment, too. 

Part of the honor of the marionette dance which Miss Clancy 
gave went to the small daughter of S. S. Orman, who was greatly 
attracted to the dolls Miss Clancy carried. A tiny, curly-headed 
tot in white, whose chubby legs tried to keep up with the tripping 
steps of the dancer, she showed no embarrassment whatever when 
the lights were turned on at the close of the dance. And she got 
the dolls, too! 

Well, we enjoyed our faculty’s party, and we hope they will have 
another soon, so that we may be able to see our teachers at play, 
again. Here’s to another faculty party which has to be covered for 
the paper! 

— School Life , Central High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma 


BY-LINE STORIES 


145 


Exchanges, Magazines, Books. Every school newspaper 
receives each week a bundle of exchanges. These paper 
travelers from distant cities bring many hunches for by¬ 
line stories, if a writer will only accept them and put them 
to work in his own territory. A good idea is the important 
thing. Given that, a reporter can adapt the idea to fit his 
own school community through introduction of local names 
and particulars. As he reads these exchanges, he should 
clip various stories and take note of interesting topics suit¬ 
able for by-line treatment. This suggestion holds equally 
true in reading newspapers, many of which print stuff that 
may easily start the mind of the school reporter on a profit¬ 
able mental excursion. 

Magazines received in the school library — better still, 
available at home — are also exceedingly serviceable in add¬ 
ing fresh facts to the working capital of the writer. If he 
has imagination and an eager mind, the reporter will soon 
gather dozens of ideas of great value in fashioning articles 
for print. Books, also, are granaries of dependable infor¬ 
mation and furnish the writer with the background necessary 
to complete understanding of any situation and event. Most 
of us know very little about anything. That is the reason 
we should seek the cooperation of a library, so that our own 
inadequate knowledge about life may be reenforced and 
clarified. 

Often critical study of books may develop ideas for a 
readable resume. Here is a little story about an old literary 
friend: 

“What the well-dressed man should wear” is not described in 
the contents of the “ Gentleman’s Magazine ” for the year 1759. In¬ 
stead the worthy gentlemen of that age feasted their eyes on poems, 
history, essays, book reviews and dramatic criticisms, which filled 
the pages of this venerable periodical. 

A bound original copy of the magazine for the entire year 1759 
was brought to Miss Bess Farrell’s fourth-hour VIA English by 
Harry Gage Hunt, junior, during the study of the life of Samuel 
Johnson. The 169-year-old volume contains a book review of 


146 


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“Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia/’ which is of interest to the English 
VI classes because “Rasselas” was written by Doctor Johnson. 

Despite the lack of such advertisements as “The latest styles in 
red silk breeches at Jacoby’s/’ and “ I’d walk a mile for an English 
stew,” the 15,000 or so gentlemen got their “tu’penny’s” worth 
reading essays on “Affection,” the “Allegory of Wit and Learn¬ 
ing,” and “The Sad Fate of Aningait and Ajut,” which, along with 
the “Chronicle of the Revolutions of a Garret,” were as popular in 
the coffee-houses of London at that time as a “Police Gazette” 
now at a flapper party. 

— School Life, Central High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma 

Interesting People. Visitors from distant cities carry 
many an engrossing story in their kits, once the school re¬ 
porter applies the proper questions and knows how to weave 
the strands of fact and comment into an attractive fabric. 

Note how the following story escapes the limitations of 
time and place, how it assembles high lights, direct quota¬ 
tions, apt examples, and striking information into an in¬ 
viting array. 

By Fritz Metzger 

“As in the case of ‘The Better ’Ole/ a vast battlefield may be 
nothing more than twelve square feet of back-drop with small toy 
armored automobiles drawn mechanically across in front of it,” 
asserted Malcom E. Moran, brother of Frank G. Moran, who visited 
at the school en route from Hollywood to Seattle for a vacation. 
Mr. Moran for the last two years has been connected with various 
moving picture studios in Hollywood in the capacities of both title 
writer and scenario writer. He was, therefore, well qualified to 
speak on the mechanics of fakes in the moving-picture world. 

“There is a real setting about seven feet high in front of which 
actors perform. The camera is set in front of this and fastened 
very solid. Then a very pure plate glass of a desirable size is fixed 
a short distance in front of the camera between it and the actors. 

“A line is sighted from the lens of the camera to the top of the 
real setting. The spot where the line goes through the plate glass 
is marked. A line is drawn parallel to the top of the setting through 
the sight mark. 

Tinsel for Auto Lights 

“Below this line the space is left clear so that the camera can 
catch the movements of the actors. Above the line is cleverly painted 


BY-LINE STORIES 


147 


the setting upon which or in front of which there will be no acting. 
This is done so cleverly sometimes that the untrained eye cannot 
possibly detect the difference. 

“ Sometimes an endless belt with miniature autos on it is wound 
in front of the painted glass. A light is shown on these autos so that 
tinsel used for headlights will reflect the light and thus appear real.” 

Mr. Moran also described the process a story goes through before 
it is handed to the directors. 

“The novel of some author is selected by the producers and 
handed to an adaptation writer. He writes the story over to adapt 
it to the screen and the actor who will star in it. Then it goes to the 
continuity writer. 

“He writes it scene for scene, at the same time describing the 
actions of each actor and the position of the camera.” 

Specimen of Scenario 

Here is an example of a possible story after the continuity (some¬ 
times called scenario) writer has gone after it: 

Scene 

36 Close-up. John and Mary. 

Mary frowns at John as she says: Title “Go home! I hate 
you! ” 

Back as Mary finishes title. 

37 Medium shot. Library. 

John leaves Mary, picks up hat and starts for door. Mary 

follows him. 

38 Etc. 

“Back as Mary finishes title” means that the finishing move¬ 
ment of Mary’s lips is shown after the title has been shown. 

“The title is the discourse that is printed, or appears to be 
printed, on the screen in connection with the movie,” explained 
Mr. Moran. “Some men in the movie game make a speciality of 
writing titles. The director has the last say in how a story shall be 
acted and can change the scenario as it was handed to him by the 
continuity writer. 

Negatives Closely Guarded 

“After a negative has been developed, it is closely guarded against 
destruction because it is the only security for all the money that 
was expended on the film. The negatives are sent to New York to 
be printed, heavily insured of course, after they have been cut to 


148 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


the proper length. Hundreds of prints are made and divided 
among the key cities where each company has its exchange. The 
individual theatres engage the films there.” 

Malcom E. Moran went to Hollywood in September, 1926. He 
was desirous of writing and got the chance. His latest scenario 
was “The Carnation Kid,” written for Douglas MacLean. Other 
scenarios which he prepared were “The Butter and Egg Man” for 
First National Pictures and the “Last Warning” for Universal. 
For “The Coward” he wrote the titles. 

— V-A-R-D-A, Moran Junior College, Atascadero, California 

A Feature Story Defined. The purpose of the feature 
story is to provide interest through its manner of presenta¬ 
tion and not necessarily through the significance of its facts, 
as in a news story. The feature story approaches events 
from a different angle from that of the news story and seeks 
out the sidelights and shadings that give human appeal. 
To do this it utilizes all the accessories of the short story, 
suspense, description, dramatic situations, character por¬ 
trayal. 1 

The time element which determines so markedly the value 
of a news story is not so important a factor in the feature 
story, although timeliness and seasonability undoubtedly 
improve it. A story built around Hallowe’en should be 
printed as close to that date as possible to insure public 
response, but the zest of it is seldom destroyed within the 
span of a single day. 

If the writer decides to elaborate the who in the news, the 
result is a personality or biographical sketch; if he plays up 
the what, the product is a fact story often laden with sta¬ 
tistics; when converts the narrative into a historical survey 
or a forecast; where makes it a locality sketch, sometimes 
an exposition of geographical flavor, while why furnishes 
the basis of a yarn in which mystery plays a part, or why 
at times may result in scientific exposition. These five IF’s, 
we have discovered, are all found in the newspaper lead; in 

1 The art of the feature story is more fully discussed and illustrated in 
Chats on Feature Writing, by H. F. Harrington (Harper). 


BY-LINE STORIES 


149 


the feature story the arts of the craftsman are employed in 
weaving together the most inviting of them. 

In addition, how presents many opportunities for similar 
skillful treatment; witness the description of “How Uncle 
Sam Counts His Children,” a story of the census, which 
appeared recently on a feature page. The story was well 
supplied with illustrations which gave it added appeal. 

Special Columns and Articles. Contributions written 
by men who have made a notable success in some business 
or profession add variety to the newspaper’s offerings. Let 
these men write under their own signatures. Usually fathers 
and board members may be prevailed upon to set down their 
views on some striking aspect of current news. 

Teachers also may have places reserved in the newspaper 
wherein they may speak to the entire school. Perhaps once 
a month different departments of school work may be de¬ 
scribed in special feature stories. The work of the boys in 
manual training, a review of the football season, a science 
page, a birthday anniversary number, an aviation number, 
an alumni edition, an April Fool imitation of a sensational 
newspaper, a senior “Who’s Who?” supplement, are perti¬ 
nent suggestions for the making of such special feature 
numbers. 


CHAPTER X 


COPY READING, HEADLINES, MAKEUP 

Work of the Copy Reader. If all reporters were scrupu¬ 
lously correct in preparation of copy, supervision by the 
deskmen would be unnecessary. But unhappily many 
writers punctuate carelessly and are notoriously bad spellers. 
Like Tennyson’s brook, their sentences sometimes run on 
forever. So the copy reader must sit in judgment over their 
stuff. 

Here is a bungled name, a wrong initial, a violation of 
office style, an incorrect street number, a statement that 
reflects on some one’s reputation. The copy reader must 
know and catch these errors. It is his business to save the 
hurried reporter from stupid blunders, to protect his paper 
from blunt criticism. No excuse ever wholly wipes out the 
printed mistake; it stares at the news editor like an accusing 
specter. 

Some reporters regard the man who edits their stuff as a 
copy butcher; in time they realize he is their guardian angel. 
They will do well to study the corrections he makes in their 
stories. 

For instance, consider this item written by a cub reporter. 
Words set in italic type — parts of his original copy — have 
been removed by the copy reader as clogs in the story’s 
progress. Read the story carefully, omitting canceled words 
in italic type, and you will discover new firmness and 
clearness: 

Superintendent of Schools Charles C. Baldwin slipped and fell 
down on the ice-coated steps of his home at 6128 Wyandotte Avenue 
at 7:30 o’clock yesterday morning and sprained his right ankle 
very badly. He refused to reenter his home and in spite of the 

150 



EDITING AND MAKEUP 151 

great pain which he suffered rode down town in his automobile 
However, he had to be assisted into his office. He said that he in¬ 
tended only to read his mail and to transact some urgent business 
matters before returning to his home. 

But a skillful copy reader does more than eliminate repe¬ 
titions and minor blunders. He invigorates, strengthens, 
reconstructs. With swift precision he brings a buried feature 
into the foreground, repairs a dangling sentence, or blends 
it with another paragraph. Under his watchful care the 
story rounds into form and beauty. 

A copy reader on the school paper must have the complete 
confidence of student and instructor. He should be promoted 
to the desk after a year’s experience as a reporter. Before 
he can judge others’ work, he must first be able to write a 
readable story himself. To insure accuracy, his work should 
be passed upon by the chief copy reader, usually the in¬ 
structor. 

Copy Readers’ Marks. Various marks are employed by 
copy readers to simplify the work of revision. These are 
illustrated on the following pages. 

Purpose of Headlines. After the copy of the story has 
been made ready for the compositor, the next task is to write 
the head for it. 

Years ago editors did not attempt to display each item 
of news but bunched the items in the same column under 
a label head, such as “Neighborhood Happenings,” “ Locals,” 
Personals,” “Court-house Notes.” Sometimes they put a 
large one-line caption over sensational news. A New York 
paper announced the assassination of President Lincoln with 
the word important. 

Nowadays, however, people do not read the paper from 
first page to last, but only a small part of it. They must be 
attracted to certain items, just as they inspect articles dis¬ 
played in the front window of a grocery store. The head¬ 
line is a town crier in print. It serves as a guidepost to the 
information the paper has for sale and centers eye and mind 


152 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


upon a particular story. If you want to see how dreary a 
newspaper may become, detach all the headlines from their 
respective stories and paste the headless stories on a big 
piece of cardboard. The general impression is that of closely 


_J L_ 

by the team ."A 

CZ-The banquet 



ATo 9l 

<E°?> CD 


s tatus q uo 


Beginning of a paragraph. 

Begin paragraph where none is indicated. 

No paragraph; run in. 

Written in the margin opposite matter listed in 
separate lines to indicate it is to he set in a 
continuous paragraph. 

Use after a sentence at the end of a page to show 
that no break is to be made in the type-setting. 

Set in opposite style. Abbreviate or spell out. 

Set in italics (or black face, if italics are not 
available on the linotype machine.) 


The Herald 


Set in capital and small capitals. 


.white house 
^nstructor 
fo ot b gill 



V © 

(50) 


Raise it to a capital. 

Reduce capital to lower case. 

Close up space. 

Leave a space between words. 

Transpose the enclosed elements. 

The bridge line carries the compositor’s eye over 
deleted material. 

Insert omitted letter contained in loop. 

Transpose position of letters. 

Feriod. 

Indicates the end of the story. 

Marks Used in Reading Copy 


packed type in endless procession, unrelieved by contrast 
and emphasis. Headlines bring variety, force, and alive- 
ness to newspapers. 

Headlines are so much a part of present-day journalism 
that they indicate whether a newspaper is conservative, 
sensational, or yellow. Metropolitan newspapers, dependent 





EDITING AND MAKEUP 


153 


largely upon street sales to boost their circulation, specialize 
in bold, black headlines, action pictures, constantly chang¬ 
ing makeup. Small town papers prefer more standardized 
dress. School weeklies occupy a golden mean between these 
extremes. 

A Standardized Head Chart. Before we set out to write 


Cff The annual ThScsgiving collection, - whi -e h - is sponsored 
” A 

by the School Childrens Aid Society, f a r th e pwpaoo- f ^ provides 
clothing and shoes for SSB. needy, children who wi th o ut this a ±<T are 
unable to attend school, W be taken at^e^ion time aert 
Wednesday > the day before Thanksgiving. 

A-Ccait/t 

CfJ Any public schoolteacher will a a eopt donations, but for 


hyg^V.ic reasons only money can be accepted^ ruling of the 


^oard of Education prohibits ttne giving out 

,_„ eu*~Jb . 

s hoes or othe r- garments^ 




head assitant at the Avalon^ 


Miss Harriet^ Winship, tte- head assets 
sSTcjgol, declared that the soc^y waonpelied last year to 
refuse requests for ( ^two thousaiup pairs of shoes needed by children 
who had none in-weer, and were therefore unable to attend the^ji classesy 
7/ "Making a child a present of a gif t-e f clothes does not 
encourage depenS^cy," remarked Miss Winshjj? ^>esday.}/|n the contrary, 
appearing respectabT> at sohool builds self'respect and self~reliance. 
I hope everybody will help." 


A Page of Corrected Copy 
See copy reading marks on the opposite page. 

news captions, it is first necessary that we adopt a few 
head patterns. If every deskman wrote headlines solely 
to suit himself, irrespective of count and type style, the 
paper would look like a crazy quilt. It is imperative that 
copy readers and printers agree upon unvarying head forms. 
These are then made into a chart, each one carrying its own 











154 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


unmistakable type label and unit count. These symbols 
are like signals used to call the right plays in a football game. 

The most important news headline is known as a ‘‘front¬ 
page streamer/’ in some shops as “the line.” It carries the 
big smash of the day — perhaps a fire, election of a Presi¬ 
dent, a football victory. As a head writer you will be called 
upon occasionally to construct such a streamer, although it 
should be noted that many high school papers constantly 
overwork sensational type display. The streamer is like the 
best family silverware; it should be brought out when com¬ 
pany arrives and there is some good reason for celebrating. 

Main Streamer. Every paper must be prepared for news 
emergencies and have big type in readiness to meet them. 
Suppose we choose for place of honor upon our head chart 
this style of sensational headline: 

Streamer A 

TROJANS 

Printers will instantly recognize this face as belonging to 
the Cheltenham family of type. To be precise, it is called 
bold condensed and measures 60 points in height. Approxi¬ 
mately thirty-five letters and spaces will be required to fill 
a line reaching across the top of a seven-column newspaper. 
Thus: 

TROJANS BEAT TIGERS 7 2 IN STIFF GAME 

It is obvious that M , a wide letter, is equivalent to one 
and one-half units, but spaces, /, and punctuation marks 
occupy only one-half unit, an important fact to remember in 
checking up the units. After completing the headline to 
swing the big story, the editor writes on the copy: 7 cols , 


EDITING AND MAKEUP 


155 


60 pt. caps , Cheltenham hold , a citation which tells the printer 
that the streamer is to be set seven columns wide in capitals 
of 60-point Cheltenham Bold type. The text of the story 
itself, with other supporting headlines, should occupy the 
outside right-hand column, the favored position for impor¬ 
tant news. 

Secondary Streamer. Not a few papers use a subordinate 
streamer, designed to carry a news story rated next in 
importance. This secondary headline may be set in light- 
face type — often in italics or lower case letters — so that 
it creates contrast, without destroying the emphatic play of 
the streamer. The same sort of streamer is admirably 
adapted for use on the sports page, where it may be combined 
with two-column and one-column heads to bring about 
effective display. The sports page, once dull in its makeup, 
has become so important that it is now given feature treat¬ 
ment throughout. 

We shall designate this secondary streamer as Style B on 
our chart of sample heads and specify the count and type 
thus: 60 units — 36 pt. Cheltenham italics — caps and lower 
case , 7 cols. Appropriate reduction of units may be made to 
fit lesser number of columns. 

Streamer B 

Team Crushes 

Top Head. The top range of the newspaper is the first 
to catch the attention of a reader. His roving eye coasts 
from the headlines arranged under the newspaper’s flag to 
other masses of type banked at the sides, or placed immedi¬ 
ately under the main stories. Headlines which announce 
important news and which deserve front-page display are 
known as top heads. They should never be used in the 
bottom area of the page, where their effect will be lost. 


156 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


We label our top head No. 1 and add it to the chart for 
future guidance. Divisions of a head have acquired special 
names, as follows: 


Unit Count: 1. 

“ KATHRYN STRUBLE 
• NAMED FIRST GIRL 
“ EDITOR OF ANNUAL 


28 

U 

18 


Gordon Meyer Is Made Business 
Manager, Helen Costello 
Assistant Editor 


Terminology: 
Three-line drop-line 
display—first deck 


5-em dash 

Inverted pyramid 
— second dedc 

5-em dash 


BREWER HEADS AD STAFF 


Cross line 
5-em dash 


28 

n 

18 


Other Appointments to Be Made 
in Near Future, Faculty 
Adviser Says 


Inverted pyramid 
deck 

5-em dash 


In decks where word division is permitted it is sufficient 
to approximate the total of the lines. It is not necessary 
to count each line exactly. 

Now for a sample of head No. 2: 


Unit Count: 2. 

" GATE CITY SCHOOLS 
” PRESENT PAGEANT 


Terminology: 


Two-line drop 


28 

U 

18 


“The Gift of England” Given at 
the World War Memorial 
Stadium 


Inverted pyramid 


Two-column Heads. Unbroken array of one-column heads 
results in typographical monotony and lack of balance. 
Two-column head patterns are therefore recommended for 













EDITING AND MAKEUP 


157 


(-H 

* S 5 

Jg 3 

°o h3 


H 

H 

» 

g 

3 

o 

r 

o 

o 

Hj 


cn 

£§»? 8 | 
^|' S ' 8 | 
o g jr *n n 

g ? S-S 
■5 I H S 
w2 h — 
■8 2 j> o 
<5 3 pr^ 

5 a* p 

Q-m. 3 
3 >0. 

SzSS 
‘g.g g 8 

fo STr* 
Q) •"! EH 2 

S- s <T7 


3 ,3 

n. 


O 

-c 

p». 

* OQ 

m 3* 
ft 3 

i‘s 

n o 

<T> O 

* P" 

CO 

SjJ K*, 

®» k. 

b 

Og. 

Co'S. 

2 . 5 : 

§ a* 


Co 

CO 

ft 

** 

CO 


■* 1 H 

2 s- H 

a. § g 

a g 

«a a- a 

<c ^ S 

Cb © S? 

O 

-i. f 

cT <o o 

S H 


Unit Count: 










158 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


position on the chart. These bring added prominence to 
the news and also help to give punch to the bottom area of 
the front page. Their presence in top position, in the center 
of the page, likewise invites attention. Column heads are 
placed at the top of the page for stories of unusual impor¬ 
tance; at the bottom when used on feature stories, particularly 
those with authors’ by-lines. 

The top lines of the sample on page 157 labeled as No. 3 
— 2 columns — are set in capitals and lower-case letters. 
The head has a one-column deck, a term which is self-ex¬ 
planatory. Note the cut-off rule at the right under the head 
and the method of assemblying the type under the caption. 

Other two-column heads, with capital letters for the dis¬ 
play lines and with supporting decks, may be adopted as 
needed. Sports stories often require such bold effects. 

Another two-column lead is of the boxed variety (see page 
157), one which lends itself to attractive makeup on the front 
page and elsewhere, especially in connection with a large cut. 

It is noticeable that capital and lower case (small) letters 
are becoming increasingly popular in construction of modern 
headlines, thereby bringing additional ease, dignity, and 

7B Pupils 

Celebrate 

Hallowe’en 

Award for Prettiest Costume Goes 
to Stella Wolanski; Prize for 
Most Original, To Stanley Elche- 
shen. 


By Delma Davis 






EDITING AND MAKEUP 


159 


beauty to newspaper pages. The preceding is a typical 
specimen, taken from another head chart that uses lower 
case letters exclusively. 

These newer faces, however, are not available in most 
printing offices, so that the head chart previously recom¬ 
mended is made up largely of the older condensed faces. 

Heads to Match Stories. And now in quick succession let us 
attach minor heads to our chart, each with its own count and 
key number, and intended to display its own brand of story: 


Unit Count: 


17-19 


Black Cats, Ghosts, 
Goblins Will Gambol 
At Hallowe’en Party 


6 . 

TED FAUNTZ TELLS 
OF EXPERIENCES ON 
BOARD BATTLESHIP 

7 . 

W. H. S. FACULTY ENJOYS 

BREAKFAST AT SIM PARK 

8 . 

Homsher Twins, Named 
For Washington, Have 
Birthday on Feb . 22nd 


Terminology : 
Three-line 

slep-down, c. and l. c. 


Three-line 
step-down, caps 


Two-line 
drop-line, caps 


Box 
Italic 
step-down, 
c. and l. c. 


20 


Crane’s Fire Marshal 


10 . 

U I Make High Scores in Test 1 | Subhead 1 

1 Subheads are used only in stories more than three paragraphs in length. 
An exact count is not necessary for this type of head. Three or four words 
of ordinary length are used for a subhead. 













160 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Counting the Units. We have now agreed upon headline 
combinations to be used as samples in writing captions. 
As copy readers suppose we set to work on the stories written 
by reporters. We shall endeavor to set up desk rules as we 

The first piece of copy found in 
the basket is a short item con¬ 
cerned with an approaching wed¬ 
ding. The lead immediately 
introduces the name of a well- 
known teacher, then follows it up with a statement about 
her engagement. “A well-built item,” agrees the copy 
reader, as he makes a few changes to clarify the style. The 
story as revised reads: 

Miss Katherine Wellmuth, financial clerk in the main office, sur¬ 
prised friends by wearing a brand new diamond ring last week. 
She admitted that she was engaged to Mr. Arnold Merica. The 
wedding will take place in June, which will necessitate her leaving 
Englewood at that time. 

Mr. Merica is a graduate of the University of Michigan. After 
their marriage the couple intend to live in the city. 

Miss Wellmuth came to Englewood last April to take the place 
of Miss Mamie Lynch in the book exchange. This fall she was 
given the position she now holds, which was formerly occupied by 
Mrs. Isabelle Garn. 


proceed. 

Desk Rule No. 1 

First read the entire story 
to see if the right feature 
has been played up in the 
lead. Then insert all neces¬ 
sary corrections for the 
printer. 


Now that the copy has been approved, the next step is to 
select the style of headline best suited to it. The item is not 
very important, and probably deserves only two lines of 
boldface type, in other words a No. 7 head, as the copy 
reader notes on consulting his chart. The count indicates 
that 20 units constitute the limit on this headline. The 
deskman’s fingers begin to drum; presently he writes and 
checks the following caption, with the count: 


H1 / /1 / / II / /*//! H///U//M ii l// 

MISS KATHERINE WELLMUTH WILL 

11 / / / / 1 H / 1 H / / 1 I / 11 / 1 / / / / 

MARRY MR. MERICA IN JUNE 



EDITING AND MAKEUP 


161 


When these units are totaled it instantly becomes apparent 
that the head writer has exceeded the count. The lines will 
not fit. He tries again, with the following result: 


1H//IH / / / 11 / / / 1 / /m / / 

MISS WELLMUTH TO WED 

H / ill / / 1/ / 11/1/ / / / 

MR. MERICA IN JUNE 


The first line contains twenty units, allowing a half-unit 
for 7 and spaces between words, and one and one-half units 
for W. The second line is short four units. With a quick 
thrust of his pencil, the deskman changes to wed to weds, 
and in to next, so that the new headline reads: 


MISS WELLMUTH WEDS 

MR. MERICA NEXT JUNE 


It will be observed that this 
head — as approved by the head 
copy reader — contains a noun 
and an active verb brought into 
close connection, so that a com¬ 
plete declarative statement is made. This statement is 
generally framed in the historical present tense, active voice 
(here it is projected into the future), because the newspaper 
prefers to deal in live news. Note how the caption uses 
short, specific words, made necessary by space limitations. 
Oblique marks made by the copy reader on both sides of 
the head show the printer that the caption is to be set in 
two broken lines. 

Sometimes the deskman will 
find he does not have room to 
insert the verb and must there¬ 
fore imply its presence, as: 

SQUAD BUSY PRACTICING 
FOR SATURDAY BATTLE 


Desk Rule No. 3 

Inject life and vigor into 
the head by using nouns 
and verbs that make a com¬ 
plete statement of fact. 
Use the present tense, ac¬ 
tive voice, if possible. A pas¬ 
sive is usually a weaker form 
than an active and should 
therefore be avoided when 
possible. 


Desk Rule No. 2 

After you have selected a 
suitable head for the story, 
find out the count (letters 
and spaces); then proceed 
to write a head that will 
fill the measure. 





162 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Such a headline is often permitted, but to omit the noun 
often brings an awkward construction to the sentence, with 
resultant lack of force. Note this head: 

SAYS NEWSPAPERS ARE 

EDUCATORS OF PEOPLE 

Such a caption may be considerably improved by quoting 
the authority for the statement. 

It should be obvious that headlines making a positive 
statement are more forceful than those presenting a nega¬ 
tive conclusion. For example: 

Bad: 

NOBODY INJURED IN 

EXCITING LOOP FIRE 

Bcttcv: 

FIRE HOLDS UP TRAFFIC AT 
CROWDED NOON HOUR 

The next piece of copy dealt 
to the deskman by his chief 
relates the story of a robbery in 
a faculty home. The lead started 
like this: 

Two hundred dollars’ worth of jewelry and furnishings were 
stolen from Dean Egbert Hunter’s home on October 20, while Mr. 
Hunter and his family attended the Englewood-Tilden football 
game at Normal Park. 

This lead is somewhat undramatic and emphasizes the 
wrong thing, so the deskman quickly revamps it before he 
begins to write the headline: 

While Dean Egbert Hunter and family were attending the 
Englewood-Tilden football game at Normal Park last Saturday 
afternoon, a thief broke into their home and stole jewelry and 
furnishings valued at $200. 


Desk Rule No. 4 

Do not repeat important 
words in various divisions 
of the head; make each 
part of the headline for¬ 
mation a complete unit in 
itself. 









EDITING AND MAKEUP 


163 


The rest of the story then falls into place. Thus: 

After the burglar had unsuccessfully attempted to open one of 
the windows in the rear of the house, he managed to break in the 
back door. The robber did not destroy or upset any furniture. 
He took a pearl necklace, a string of cut jet beads, a thermostat, 
some rings, silk hose, and some heirlooms. 

Mr. Hunter and his family planned to return from the game by 
5:30, but they met some friends who invited them out to dinner, so 
they returned home late. 

“He was evidently quite well acquainted with our habits,” Mr. 
Hunter stated, “for we usually leave our Airedale dog on guard. 
This time, however, we took the dog out. The jewelry and clothes 
the burglar abstracted were worth about two hundred dollars and 
unfortunately were not insured. I am now well prepared with 
safety latches, locks and burglar alarms if he visits us again.” 

The police, as yet, have discovered no traces of the burglar, nor 
have they found any clues in Mr. Hunter’s home. 

Head No. 2 — two drop lines and an inverted pyramid — 
appeals to the deskman as the right vehicle to carry the 
news of the robbery. Accordingly, he begins to experiment, 
with this result: 

DEAN AT GAME AS 
THIEF ROBS HOME 


Hunters Return To Find That 
Burglar Has Fled With 
$200 In Valuables 


Here you will note that the, a space-killing word carrying 
little punch, has been omitted before the word game. 
In the inverted pyramid that follows burglar has been sub¬ 
stituted for thief, and the two divisions of the head bridged 
without abrupt change of thought. 

Probably two linotype operators will be called upon to 
put our burglary story into type — one to set the display 






1G4 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


headlines, the other to convert the copy into shining metal 
bars. Some method must be devised to bring head and story 
together without loss of time. To this end, the copy man 
writes his headlines and key number on a separate piece of 
paper and then slugs the original copy with the opening 
words of the headline, so that when this label appears in 
type at the top of the proof, it instantly tells the printer 
how to assemble the material. Thus our burglary story 
might carry at the top of the copy the key word dean, 
possibly burglary. The slug line, of course, is thrown away 
when the type is arranged by columns for printing. It has 
served its purpose. 

The deskman must keep a record of every important 
story headed and sent to the typesetting machines, so that 
he will know later on how to instruct the printer in sorting 
out stories for placement on the page. The art of makeup 
will be described in detail later in this chapter. 

Among other stories handled by the deskman one had to 
do with the purchase of a new athletic field by the board 
of education — accorded a streamer — the others told of 
election of the president of the senior class, and of a speech 
by a prominent banker. Each story was given a No. 1 
headline. 

Some Minor Faults. Now that the main rules of practice 
have been summarized, it may be well to summarize some 
minor regulations. 

1. Do not break a word from one display line to another, 
or separate words naturally associated: 

Bad: 

HILARIOUS FARCE CHOS- 
| EN FOR CLASS PLAY 

Better: 

SENIORS CHOOSE FARCE 

FOR THEIR CLASS PLAY 





EDITING AND MAKEUP 


165 


2. Avoid excessive alliteration: 

Bad: 

PAUL’S PLAYFUL PRANKS 

PAIN PRIM PRISCILLAS 

3. Avoid heads in which a dash takes the place of says, 
as: 

EVANSTON TIGERS WILL 

BEAT LINCOLN—BROWN 

4. Avoid beginning headlines with figures, but remember 
that figures sunk into the sentence allow you to compress 
more news into the line: 

Bad: 

12 PUPILS ARE HONORED 

IN PRINCIPAL’S REPORT 

Better: 

REPORT LISTS 12 PUPILS 

AS SCHOLARSHIP ‘STARS’ 

5. Avoid figurative, slangy, and humorous heads written 
over stories carrying important news: 

Bad: 

OLE LADY LUCK HANDS 

BUNCH A GLAD SURPRISE j 

Better: 

TIM’S LUCKY DROP KICK 

DEFEATS LANE TECH, 3-0 

5. Try not to separate the parts of a prepositional phrase 
or infinitive when they come at the end of a drop-line. 
Bad: 

I HIGH SCHOOL EDITORS TO j 
MEET AT DENVER SOON I 

Better: 

HIGH SCHOOL EDITORS 

MEET IN DENVER SOON 















166 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Making Up the Paper. After all the copy has been read 
and headed and the type set, the next task is to assemble the 
stories and illustrations into page forms. 

There are three main considerations in making up the 
paper. The stories must be given prominence according to 
the news value of each, the arrangement must be such that 
it is attractive to the reader’s eye, and space must be found 
for all the items scheduled for the edition. 

It is obvious that the front page is the choice display space. 
The best stories go there, and the best of them at the tops 
of the columns. Lesser stories of first-page rank go below 
the illustration, if one is used, or elsewhere lower on the 
page. The principal story, of course, will carry the banner 
line; and since the streamer reads from left to right, the place 
for that story is in the right-hand column. 

Many newspapers make effective use of the back page as a 
sort of secondary front page. It is a good space for a bright, 
diversified array of feature matter and might be well used 
by high school editors as a sports page. Other pages rank in 
importance from the front to the back. Odd-numbered 
pages, because the reader’s eye falls on them as he turns 
through the paper, are better display space than even- 
numbered ones. 

Department items, reports of clubs, societies, class or¬ 
ganizations, exchanges, and the like may be placed back 
in the paper because readers interested in them are willing 
to look for them. The forward pages then can be used for 
news stories and pictures. 

Preparing the Dummy. Before the paper can be made 
up, the news editor must ascertain the space available and 
the amount of matter to be placed. Then he goes over his 
schedule of stories and illustrations, grades each according 
to news value, and allots its place in a certain column of a 
certain page. First-page stories that are too long may break 
over or jump to inside pages. Too many jumps, however, are 
bad makeup. Not more than one-half should ever break over. 


EDITING AND MAKEUP 


167 

Frequently, when there is a great deal of matter for the 
space available, it is necessary to trim many stories, so that 
some of each may be used. It is better to cut each of a 
dozen stories a little than to leave out two or three altogether. 

Datci TomAA il AM/ I 0, -Issue Ql_lLi t ^ d/ XLU/ JfLviii/iAxj. 


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the more professional method, is used in newspaper offices, 
but it is difficult for the beginner. This schedule or makeup 















168 


WRITING FOR PRINT 



VOL. XIII 


AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL. CHICAGO. NOVEMBER 23, 192« 


NO. 10 


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EDITING AND MAKEUP 


169 


UGH1 UGHI 
HEAP BIG HOUSE 
HEAP BIG OPERA 
POCAHONTAS 


Uhc fulfil! STime 



APRIL 7 

TOWN HALL PARADE 
LET'S HAKE IT GAY 
YEA AUSTIN I 


VOLUME XII 


AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL. CHICAGO. MARCH JO. 1928 


"AND NOW WE'LL 
TELL ONE,” SAYS 
EM1NENTFACULTY 

Enterpruinf “Cub” Finds 
News of Vest interest 
to Student Bod; 

Ovine te the wKinlMu work and 
high grndra of all Un students In Dm 
pul f«v weeks, s real Iresl is In store 
for ike whole student body no Man 
day 

All classes vfll he given oeer to the 
venous persons In the faculty who 
•IB, by their remarkable talents tn 
humorous lines, entertain the school 
Mr. Thomas, erlth the help of others. 
• dl portray the "WinnInf of the 
West,' in a splendid setting on the 
auditorium its ye This vtl! be fol - 
loved by Miss Cladish’s short talk on 
sesma 

Slades Is to Be Lata 
Mr Marsh will then give an address 
aa -Why Students Should Be Ute " 
As soon as this la over, the students 
•ill be dismissed for thlrty-tvo mm 
ute to patronise “ItVa" and direst i 
packers of stenocraphers’ (vm The 
numerous faculty cars vlll then he at 
the students' disposal for a short run 
•a the ditch 

At 12.10 the students will promptly 
take seels m the lunchroom vhere the 
biscuits, vhtch have been carefully 
saved from Miss Henna s last semes 
ur cookine class, vill creel you vlth 
e hsrd-y welcome. 

And iwv for the reel treat. (Please 
refrain from "Teote-loot" and other 
such exclamations of pleasure.) 

Cooes OiatrlUoled 
Mr Wrlrhl vlth the aid of a v. 
and Ev Olenlck'e horse vill dtetrll 
Ice cream cones and lollies am 


It has 


decided that 


their brains having been evertaaed 
vlth so muck I tody my deserve enter 
lemment. so. for that reason, they will 
skip down, or up os they may please, 
to the book room where copses of Nick 
Carter's latest will he distributed. 

Typewriter AaaihiUud 
Those wishing can then remove 
themselves to the typing room where 
Miea Tench will dismember a Royal 
typewriter and show how It may be 
put together minus tlx former placet 
The rest of the afternoon will he 
free to do with aa each nisdsnl 
pleases. 

The reporter of the above story re¬ 
quests all those reading this grand anil 
glorious news to borrow a ealrndat 
and see what national holiday falls on 
Monday 


* Plan Your Home’ 
Exhibit Date Set 
Ahead to April 12 

Teachers representing all the high 
schools enured in the "Plan Your Own 
Homs' conust encoded a meeting last 
Friday presided aver by Mr Baue 
feld. director of technical work in Chi¬ 
cago hiyh schools. Among the ques 
tions discussed were extensions of 
time to tw granted, selection of Jud 
and increasing numbers of drswi 
to tw submitted from earn school 
Austin's exhibit of the "Plan Your 
Home' contest takes place on Aprs! 12 
InsUad of March JO, the original date. 

at the esunsion af Ume 
I at the meeting 
drawing! will he exhibited 
l corridors so thst all pupils 
l examples of bow these draw 
Ota are trained to delineate 
r plans and details, 
best drawings of each of the 
laasee will be chosen and tent 
own where a committee of prom- 
architecU will make the Anal 
* for the three beet drawings In 


Pin — Ring Selection 
Made for ’28 $ Clast 

At the diet meeting ef the pin and 
ring committee of the clans of 7*H. 
held in room J0A. Tuesday the seventh 
period, the different style pins end 
rings were selected 
The contract for making the pins 
and nnga u held by Dodge and 



Foeir models of n«gs. three models 
af pins with guards, sad one guard 
model ere on exhibition In the north 


Orders will be token Moadey. A 
82 00 deposit to required for the rings 
and a deposit of lLOO for the pins. 

-Herb* Nelson, 
for hie com 

Kathryn Maseberonl. Janey 
ran. BUI Speer sad Leonard 



NO. 8 


V -- 


WASHINGTON TOUR 
PARTY LINING UP 

Excursionists May Meet 
Congressmen on Trip 

Each day brings an 
of students to the list of 
for the Austin high 
Washington, according to 
Zimmerman, faculty chaperon. 

Thou *ho had signed by Monday 
are Georgia Hale. Marjorie Kleloe- 
feld. Betty Sicgrtat, Evelyn Benson, 
Wanda Hyland. 
Jane Oil 
Harriet 
Gregg. Helen Lyon. 
Gladys Hem-erg. Irene Nelson. Edna 
Jones. Mildred Hsusman, Frances 
Genu, Lillian Pederson. Grace Jourlei, 
Margaret Welch. Eleanor McCarl, 
Blanche Lqmtn. Grace KartUna. 
Norton Whitlock. Ruth McKelvey. 
Anna Petersen. Emma SoderatroA. 
Ruth Kan tor. Lenore Abrams. Hnlel 
Stone. Myrtle Ollevang. Verna Sehulx. 
and Margaret "Peggy" McLaren 
Ralph Jack. Mortimer Alexander. 
Omn Wain. Frank Peel. Charles 
Simon. James Williamson. Albert 
Whitlock. Francis Lund and Amy 
F me man 

Mrs. L. Pederson, Mrs. E. Jourlei. 
and Mrs. J- N. Whitlock will also ac¬ 
company the 
Mias Regina 1 nan and Mr H 
A 



ivf been unt |£< Congreas. 
P Igoe and Mlchaelson of 
rongraaalonal districts, and 
to Congress man-st-Large Ralhbone to 
secure from them for the party the 
special privilege and courtesy cards 
they have the power to isiue. 

Congressman Rathbonc has come to 
ha Washington's best authority on the 
s and places of historical 
be found there He has 
to address the Austin ex- 

Cherry Trees Bloom 

Word coming from the sooth of the 
backwardness of spring to good newt, 
os It means that the travelers will 
Apd the-far-famed cherry treat la full 
bloom 

Austin to Engage 
in Band Contest 

The sectional band 
tbs northwestern and 
tracts Of Chicago, In 
Lake view. 

Crane high 
Uka place April 1. at 7:10 p m , at 
the Roosevelt high aehooL The Arab 
second, and third prise winners of 
this cooust will compcU at the all¬ 
city competition U be held at North. 

The winners of the all-city con lest 
will be present at the InUrataU com¬ 
petition to be held at Champagne. 
Those selected at Champagne will then 
compete for national honors In Ike 
finals to ha bald at Joliet on May M. 
when all best hands In the United 
Stales will meeL 

The state and national contests are 
open only u bands of class A. Austin 
won first placs In class C last year, 
hut was unable to compete for stale 
ay national prises 

Austin has now an eighty-five piece 
hand In class A and. therefore, trill be 
able to compete us all three renteata 
la SehOdheoer aaid. while dis- 
Ute band. "We have a bigger 
and better band this year, and aa tha 
thirty-five cents, all 
tn support 
preliminary” 



Botanists View Flowers 
at Hotel Sherman Exhibit 

With students* epeelel rate lirk- 
etl. the Botany cleh. under tha 
supervision of Mr. Miller, last 
Tuesday afternoon attended the 
eeeswsd nnoaal Garden and Flower 
►how given by the National Asso¬ 
ciation of Gardeoeea at the Hotel 
Sherman from March 24 la April I, 

The first magnificent display 
consisted ef gerdent and Included 
Japanese. Spanish. French. Italian, 
and American characterialscs. af 
• elec gardens and ministers wa¬ 
terfalls 

Another great attraction was the 
display of miniature medel homes 
In perfeet settings, and scientific 
landscape gardening. 

The display which crossed the 
most comment and brought the 
w«el complimentary remarks from 
I he students was the tower display 
mom where thoaeoade nf esotir. 
rare, beautiful cat towers and 
plants are la bloom. 

-The beat seer." was ealeod with 
enthusiasm by Mr. Millar. 


MUSIC CONFERENCE 
ATTRACTS AUSTIN 

Will Hold National Meeting 
At Steven* Hotel 


of the 


Thu Ant biennial • 

National Music Supervisors' confer 
ence will be bald in Chicago, the week 
of April IS to 20. and reservations of 
rooms at the Stevens hotel, which la 
to he the headquarten. Indicate the 
largest at tendance In the history of 
the conference. 

All of the musk teachers an mem¬ 
bers of this conference and nre there- 
fore preparing Austin student* for 
their ports In the affair. 

Last weak names were printed of 
the Austin bond members who will 
belong to tha all-Chicago band, and It 
Mr. Roth's 'Warb¬ 
led- would be members ad an all- 
Chtcagu chorus. 

An orchestra mad# up of memben 
of all tha high school orchestras has 
and tha students who 
will represent Austin ere- 

eony Colnigllo, 354; Henry Oly 
nice. 310; Sigurd Kellner, 402; John 
Way. JOS; and Herman Olefsky, 300. 

day during the week of the 
■111 be given ot 
hall and other parts of the 
city, by asms at Chicago's most re- 
muUoot. 


ANNUAL PICTURES 
vNEXT WEEK’S JOB 

Careful Schedule Planned 
for 

Wilbur 
ager of I 




Tha Chicago symphony 
several tin 
J by 

known music educate ra t 
and boys' choruses will bo 
during this gala musical wash 

Commercial Student* Vi*it 
Swift Co. on C L C. Trip 

Fifteen members of tha 
geography and Industrial 
Claeses attended tha C L C 
through the Swift and Libby 
packing corporations last Satur 
Tha group was 

of 

The 

sect Itself with the work in the 
books. 

Wnlp. error*Ion chairman. 

of Dr. A. 4 
to arranging 
iC.lt oxcurslon to tha state Insane 
asylum st Dunning foe April 1 


Monday Sehedak 

First period —*10, Hons* Eco¬ 
nomics; 1:20. Psnlong 1; > JO. Pen- 
ten* II 

Second period—8.55. French club I; 
9 0S. French club II; 9:15, Debaters. 

Third period—9 40, German club 1; 
9 50. German club II; 10:00. Senior 
Hi-Y 

Fourth period — 10:2S. Interclub; 
10:35, Track Team; 10:45, Monogram. 

Fifth period—tl t0. Opera I; 1120. 
Opera II; 11 JO. Girls' Coif. 

First section—11:55, Music deport¬ 
ment and Art deportment, 12 05, 
Technical department; 12:1*. Com¬ 
mercial department 

Second section—12:40. Astral cabi¬ 
net. 12:50. Astral I. 

Sixth period— 1:10. Astral □; 1:20. 
Astral III; 1:30, Astral IV 
Seveoth period—1:55, Astral V, 
Wednesday Schedule 
First period -* 20. Tennis team: 
8:3», Latin chib. 

Second period—8:55. Botany club I; 
9 05. Botany club If; 9:15. Sump 

period—9:40. Commissioned 
9:50. hon-eora officers, 10:00, 
Crack company 

Foarth period —10:25. Speakers: 
10:95. Spanish club I; 10:45. Spanish 
club IL 

Fifth period — 11-10, Warblers: 
II 20. Glee I; 11:30, Glee II 
First section-11.55. Reading I; 
12:05. Reading II 

Second section—.12 40. English d* 

Siilh period—1:10. C A A. I; 1:20. 
C. A. A. If; 1:30. Baseball team 
Seventh period—2:05. History 
partment: 2 15. Swimming 
Thursday Schedule 
Second period—4.55, College I; 
9:05. College 11; 9:15. College club 


OAK PARK SINGER, 
OPERA SELECTIONS 
HEARDBY SCHOOL 

Succession of Assemblies 
Fill* Section Period* 
for Four Day* 

Mask was (Ik mam 
four aaaamblit* which 
Inc put w*«k On* 

Tueaday and l wo on W 
for Ok purpoaa of f Ivin* lh« atudcnla 
a preliminary tasta of tha cam inf 
opNh 

Mr» C*tharin* McDanlvI. Ok wlft 
of Ok principal of Ok Oak Park high 
achool. **nf several numbers at lb« 
a&aembly on Thursday, among which 
were Robert Bum* “0 Wart Thou In 
tha Cautd Blaat." “My Lov. la Uka 
a Rad. Rad Rom.“ and "Flow Ganlly. 
Swart Alton." 

Opera Vlacfloaa 

Savaral aalaction* from tha opera 
wara fi*an at tha aMambllas of Tues¬ 
day and Wednesday Among those 
flvan wrra "A Lady I Know/* ren¬ 
dered by Pow-hat-on and Ah Hum; 
“You Art So Brava," by Coptain John 
Smith and Pocahontas tha Indian 
chlnf. Pow hat -on. and tha Medicine 
Man. Ah Hum. talked ovar Pow-hat- 
on'* domestic trouble* with Ah Hark 
and Pow hat-on disclosed the accrel 
'hot War only pow #r ovar him «u th» 
fact that aha *u a vary pood cook. 

A (no com poted of Pocahontas 
Captain John Smith and Ah Hum rwn- 
dervd "Wa Will . Co and Saak Ah 
Merle ' Alta John Smith underwent 
a physical examination by Ah Mcrk 
and learned that aha wa* in love with 
him. but John told har that, aa Poca 
hontat had aaved hi» life, ha muiL aa 
a gentleman, marry har 

Mr. Roth promia«d that tha coa 
turner and ternary would be )uit aa 
beautiful aa that of tha 
opera. Ha told tha Kodenta 
waa only a part of tha opera and not 
to think of tha opera la Unni of the 

part* only 

Band to Play 

On Monday, tha band will play tha 
•electiona which ha* 
be played tn tha coming contest. The 
piece* which will be played are "Fin 
landia," by J«an Sibelious. tha “Inter- 
me no" from the third act of the 
“Jewels of tha Madonna,” by Ermanno 
Wolf-Ferrari, and “Dunlap Command 
ary." by R- B. Hall. 


Hi-Y Club Plant Excursion 
to U. of C on Good Friday 

Though tha holiday aril Friday 
la dua to “Good Friday" and the 
o»>Jonty of rtwdenta will tain In 
tha observance of I ha day by the 
various religious arganiialiona to 
which they baloag. a number of 
•pocial iKursiMS and event* have 
been planned for the afternoon and 
eeealng hour*. 

The eealac HI-Y club has planned 
to make a trip la the University 
of Chicago where the, will set one 
of the oatlosial tuyraaiaeal hoekel- 
hall games, ao* then will have 
pper. la eoe of the freler.it, 


DATES FOR OPERA 
ARECHANGEDBACK 
TO APRILJ2,13,14 

Ticket* for “PocxhonU*” 
Being Sold *t Section* 
for 35 Cent* 


z~: 


A troop af gtrla Iren sect tea 
355 will meet et Ute home of 
Frances Cordon Frida, eeealag 
for a hard lime perl, , 

The gueele will Include Do rot he 
Argjle. -Billy" Ashley. Wends 
Hyland, and Croce Vanpell, who 
ere to come in clothes e* earl- 
colored as Eaeter eggs. 



Third period—9 40. -Y- club I; 
9:50, -Y" II. 10:00. “Y~ HI. 

Fourth period —10:25. -Y“ IV; 

10-45. Jr HI-Y 
110, History; 11:20. 
11:30. Uke. 

First section—11:55. Language de¬ 
partment; 12 05. C L C reps. I; 
12:15. Math department 

Second eeetloa—12:40. C I. C rape 
H; 12:50. Science department 
Sink ported—1:10. "Y" club V; 
1:20. -Y" VI; 1:30. Uttlc Theatre 
Seventh period—1:55. College 111 


Mr. Wright Instructs 
Clean-up Committee 

Thirty 

• ttb-chmrmcn ond 
Monday. second 
room A. th« nowly aqolrvd and re¬ 
furnished clean-up qrtVco, to beor from 
Mr Wright. Mr HumUton. Mr 8piL 
Ur. and Robert Mould about their 
work in relation to the clean-up cam¬ 
paign. now under way. and the in¬ 
tensive drive which occur* tn April 
and Mey * 

“We have a civic problem—making 
tb« world a good place to live la." 
•aid Mr Wright “Charity begins at 
home and our project beg mg here In 
the building. I do aot know of any 
other committee around school which 
has a more Important work than you 
have.* he concluded 


DISCOVER SHIELD 
THIRTY YEARS OLD 

Souvenir Reveal* Sixteen 
Graduate* in 1598 

The fact that "not only knowledge 
it culture" waa the motto of tha 
sixteen graduates of Austin high 
school In 1695 via recently uncovered 
through some research work of Mr. 
Ware ham, French use bar, la room 
215 

The Information waa gleaned from 
an obscure silver shield, which is 
probably • memorial left to the school 
by the students upon their graduation. 

The placard la attached to the wall, 
and because of its position, la eery 

Old-Fashioned Names 

Upon close Inspection, one may see 
on the fantastically decorated shield, 
the motto, In Latin "Non eeientle 
solum end humsnltsx." tile date. 1(98. 
and tha 

Mira 
Marlr 

Maude Ethel Cone. Cara Armando 
Cay. Birdie M Hawkins. Msry Ollee 
McCord. Georg is Silver. George G 
A mars on' William Armluga Aetrill. 
James Jay Bassrtt, Ralph W E. 

Burnham Nowell, 
t Pilgrim. Joeeph H Smith, 
and U ence Eugene Wilson. 


AUSTIN STUDENTS 
TO TAKE BIG PART 
IN BRIGHT PARADE 

Marching and Floats Will 
Color Gala Dedication 
of New Town Hall 

Austin students. L000 strong. If 
they are so minded, are invited to Uke 
advantage of the big opportunity c 
to them, of Uking pari In the ri 
community parade celebrating the 
cornerstone laying of the new Tov 
hall, Saturday. April 7. at J p. m. 

Not alnce the parade celebrating 
her baseball championship In 1022. 
haa the atudent body of Austin high 
achool had an opportunity to-Ukc part 
in a big parade. 

Pyadr OrgaaitaHana 
Marching orgamutiona Including 
cluba. flcciiona, and claaies of the 
mam achool together with those of the 
Orr and Kay branch aahooit. are to 
meet at the main achool it I g nr, 
to march to the Key grammar achool 
and there follow behind the 132nd In¬ 
fantry to march two blocks further 
before the reviewing itand 

Volunteers wtahlng to uke part in 
the auto parade are to be organised by 
the Auto club provided that the can 
are dnvcit only by pupils over 18 
years or by drivers accompanied by 
teachers or gorenta. 

Car delegations together with the 
trucks hired for the achool bands and 
certain of the cluba are to meet at 
Columbus park at I p. m. to parade 
with the community delegation. 

Prizes to Be Offered 
According to Mr Wright, who pre¬ 
sided at the Joint meeting of the 
Student Council and Interclub, oo 
Monday, March 27, seventh period, 
prizes are to be offered for the beet 
decorated cars and floats. 

Committee* are bring appointed to 
auper*U« the making of achool ban¬ 
ners. and decorations for autoa. trucks 
and organizations 



Including 
and Mr 
great deal of 
In the placard since Us new 
•overy." and atudenU may see It 
een periods on the oast wall of 
> 21 L 

Major Fred Miller Lead* 
Austin’, Crack Company 

Major Fred Miller commands Die 
crack company of Austin's R. 0. T C. 
which drills, as a whole, rfary Friday 

night at 7:20 at the 122nd 
armory. 27*3 W 
in email groups i 
fifth periods. 

Wednesday, and 
Tha crack company to alto divided 
Into platoon# which dr 
first section ported oa 
Thursday Major Charles Kufftl to 
at tha head of the first 
Captain Richard Jews commands tha 



Orchid and Green 
are Colors of ’28 

Having choaan the flower, colors, 
snd motto for the class of 78. the 
work of tha (lower, eolor and motto 
committee, under June Raff, to at an 
end Tha flower la orchid eweet peas 
with a corresponding selection af 
colors—orchid and applegreea. 

The letters for the motto. “Today to 
ours," are being cut from fireproof 
material by boys of the class 

The members of the entire commil- 
e number eleven and are: June Raff. 


Schumacher. 455 
456; Stanley 
T1U, 453; Naomi Fl 
Handelman, 45*; 

4*0; John Stewart. 


Tha colorful tongs, dance* and 
action which make up the operetta, 
"Pocahontas, - wlU enliven the life of 
AuaUoltes on the evenings of April 
12. 13 and 14. Instead of May IT. Ill 
snd 19. the date last week announced 
for Its presentation. Because of the 
orchestra's part In Music week, and 
because the date for the rsla perform 
anee haa been set ahead again, the or¬ 
chestra will be unable to accompany 
tha singers aa it has don* for former 
performances. 

Dances fa Be Glrrn 
Several dances are In te given by 
the members af the Opera club, among 
which are a waltt by Fred Olliton and 
Helen Fay, and a solo dance by Lucille 
Valin. 

The Aral cast for lb# opera will be 

Pocahontas . Lulu Bullet 

Captain John Smith... Lormer Jaekel 

John Rolfe. Omn Wots 

Queen Anne --- Mai 

Ah Hum.. .John Fn 

Ah Meek. . .. 

Powhston ..Willard i 

l 1 1her . -.Clarence 

Wah-Wah-Tay-Sra . -Lucills 
Lady Bird .. ... .Rosalind Harry 
The second cast to: 

Pocahontas ..Esther I 

Po. baton.George 

John Rolfe . Morton Taylor 

Ah Meek . .... Mildred Eliot' 
Wph-Wah-Tay-S**..Margaret Murphy 

Usher . John Walkup 

Queen Anne --- Winifred Parka 

Captain John Smith.. Frank Childs 
Sell Tickets Thursday 
The tickets for the operetta, tha tale 
of .which to In the hands of Mr. Cul¬ 
bertson, were distributed to section 
learhare yesterday. Tha poca o(_ 
the tickets to again thirty five rente, 
but there wtl] be oo ressrecd seats, as 
waa the case tn former yearn 
Chorus Mara Secret 
The chorus, which te made up of the 
remainder of the Opera club, te not as 
large aa last year, but la a mere snivel 
one. 

There will be a variety of colors and 
■ tylea In the costumes, most of which 
will be Indian, escape those of Rolfe 
and Smith. The scenery will depict 
the eirgln woodland af early America 
Because of the fact that the orchrstra 
will not furnish the music, the sccom 
penkmeot will be given by either 
Winston Millar or Mildred Bud win at 
tha piano. 


Grace Strahl. 4*2; John Roe ter. 45ft 


U. of Rochester Offer* 

Two Scholerthip* to B 07 * 

Boys of the graduation class are 
eligible for tha two University of 
Rochester scholarships which are 
avaOahte each year for students resid¬ 
ing tn Chicago and vicinity. Thera 
scholarships are v.loed at 82.000. 

Students from Englewood and New 
Trier high schools received tha schol¬ 
arships last year All seniors who are 
interested la thane scholarships should 
sea Mrs Nell for I 


Plfty Open* Next Week 

The date for tha opening nf “Tha 
Cricket an tha Hearth" at the Oilcngs 
Art theatre. 410 Sooth Michigan ave- 
arranged to 

». 

Special matinees have bran arranged 
an Saturday and Sunday for alisdanta 


Eleanor Davis '27 
Addresses English 
Scholarship Class 

"You71 feel Uke a dish rag used six¬ 
teen months.- Eleanor Dnvto, last 
year's winner o! the University of 
Chicago English scholarship and adi- 
tor-ln-chief of the 77 Maroon and 
White, aaid on Tuesday In her talk to 
Miss (sere scholarship preparatory 

• Davit wan a full 

l dol. 

re She credits Mist leer far har 
cescs and Ruth Shin, the wtnnar of 
third paid tuition, who visited with 
tea Davis, agrees with her 
Tha scholarship exams will uka 
place around the early part of May 
The exsms era to cover all the Eng. 
th work from tha beginning of (Ugh 
haul, through. 

Out of twenty-nine schools re pee 
nud by 4*0 competitors, thirty-one 
were Austin students, four of whom 
received honors last year. They were 
Eleanor Davis, first place In English. 
Ruth Shire and Rosalie Sahath la Eng. 
Hah. and Elisabeth MteUng. In Spam 


Bronze Medal Prize 
for ‘No- War ‘ Oration 

The winner ef tha local preliminary 
an outlaw-war trestles, to be held by 
April IS. will be awarded a boons* 
ittednl. If Sv* nr more Auatin atudent* 
enter this national oratorical contest 
uniter the amiptce. af a commute* of 
men Interested tn world peace 

Betty Stegriat was tha only one who 
had definitely signed up for this con¬ 
test at the beginning of this week, but 
according to Mr Crew, Austin* con¬ 
test manager, other* are planning to 

AU Austinite* who wish to partici¬ 
pate an naked to aw Mr. Craw (reme¬ 
dial alp 


The Front Page in Type 
















































































170 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


sheet is described on page 167. Editors of school papers 
usually have two galley impressions made of their copy, a 
white and a pink galley slip. After proofreading, they make a 
dummy by pasting the pink proof column by column on the 
pages of an old issue of the paper. Thus it is easy to see how 
the pages will appear in final form. 

In scheduling the pages it is necessary only to place the 
important stories, those carrying display heads. The small 
items of one, two, or three short paragraphs may be used 
to chink in the bottoms of columns. 

Proofreading. After the type has been set and put into 
a galley, a proof of it is taken on a long, white slip of paper. 
This proof must be carefully scanned, with the original copy 
as a guide, for all mistakes in spelling, punctuation, diction, 
and meaning. Often errors in typesetting creep in that must 
be caught by the proofreader. Like a deskman who revises 
the copy, the proofreader must watch for typographical 
errors and mistakes. He indicates his corrections in the 
proof by a series of marks which instruct the compositor 
how to make necessary changes. These marks are illus¬ 
trated on page 172. A few of these marks, formerly used 
to show errors in hand composition, are now obsolete. The 
linotype machine has made many old mistakes impossible. 

The young proofreader may find the following hints 
serviceable: 

1. Read proof word by word. 

2. Cover with a card all lines below the one being read. 

3. With the assistance of some one to hold copy read proof aloud 
to catch errors in sense, as well as typographical errors. 

4. Compare with copy all names, figures, tables, athletic scores 
or summaries, and other unusual material. 

5. Make marks absolutely clear. Never cross out a word to 
be changed; simply draw a line around it, indicating the correc¬ 
tion on the margin. 

6. Watch for errors in punctuation. 

7. If necessary to cut out a word, fill in with others of the same 
length, so that it will be unnecessary to reset more than one line. 


EDITING AND MAKEUP 


171 





PRESIDENTS OF SENIOR CLASSES 


JORGENS. SON ON WEEKEND HUNT 


RESERVE 
Your Ducal Now For 
The I lomccwiling Day 
November 2 


THE SOUTHERNER 


South High's Spotlight of School Spirit 


Vq|umc XXX, Number 3 


WATCH 

The Tigers Eiicuunlrr 
Tctldy's lbmgh Killers 
Today 


Tiger Ranks 
First In All 
National Vie 

Annual With Jungle Theme 
Placet in Yearbook All 
American Division 


Biegert, Holm 


Editors 

the 


Contest Sponsored by 
U of M Scholastic 
Perioilical 

SVa result* of th# SrhoUailr Ns 
llonal Coolest wvre sanouaerd. It wss 
""•I'd ibal the ISIS Tlgro * 4, 
ranked i' tft Ml American annual 
The conlaat att spussored br (be 
Scholastic magsilss published bj ibe 
UBtverally nl Minnesota for all blab 
achool and colleen yearbooks pub¬ 
lished throughout ib« Tolled Slates 
Entered lo tbs content for senior 
bt*h schools, karlw an rnrollment of 
I «00 nr mom >be Tiger naa elreo the 
blebrai clnaa. tbai of Ml America 
Roper (lleeert. of tbe January. and 
Raymond Holm, of the Jno* clnaaen. 
were Ibe edltom ln-cblef, Faculty ad 

-U«r. f .ha book ••## MU. Nor. Together Meeting Set 


ilteUw. LHcrmry Mr (fettr P#<J#t 
•on. BwalD#**, tod Hu. UUUA M. 
(but. Art 

Tl|t» 

Wllk eh# **nu»! plriarlftg • jtUfl* 
•mrb 4.par(®v*( et ib* book U con 
(*r*rt .• *ol***1 Tk# rod ibt«U 

com.lb pkiur** oI different b« 

• ltd bird, and a quoUUoa Uk<t from 
Kipling. Tk* Juoclc” IUattr%(log 
lk« ik*»*. th# foreword U written bf 
M.flp>l Joorph Jor.ro. Onon* .nd 

bl.rk .« th# predominating color. 

Ibrnugboul (lb. book. 

Rrprr.r.ilDC tbe d*p*/«B»#ot* .re 

• be following animal. Tbe Tiger, 

• bleb Includr. (be reboot (be o«l for 
(be .enior gradual**, Ibe Mrda for (he 

• n*. (b. mooter foe tumor aod (be 
I loo for alb lei le*. 

Sprcal Feature. 

Some of (be feature, of (be adoq.I 
•bleb w*r# glean full credit were tb* 

• rlte^p* of orgaoliellona, .ncrarlot 
irpocrapbf, paper .lock, dlvuioo and 
opening page., end (be bostoee. 
aunagemeoL 

Following la (be rating upon which 
all annual, w-re baaed Fourth clan, 
below aerrage no honor., third daia, 
fair, arwrood cUaa good Oral clan.. 

• icellenf. and All AmerUao boo or 
rating wa. rla.aed auperlor 

Edda Initiates 
29 Neophytes 

Sickening Groans Feature 
Weird Welcome Into 
Norse Club 

With (bete fell.. Including oumer 
ou* *lrk*»olog groan., tweotjoln# 
pupil* were loldaiert »o(o the Edda 
Club. Monday algbt. Ociobcf IS In 
tbe teacher.' I u me broom 

Upon rearbing ibe totfUlloo room, 
tbe candidate, were obliged to be 
blind folded aod .hake hand* with a 
rubber glore aoeked Id water, U»U 
being tb* baodabake loto (be clnb 
After (bi. th*f w.re told to Jorap from 
ao derated plank. Coding (bemfelee* 
only a few lacbe. from (be floor How 
erwr. tbl. wa. oot the great eat of 
tbalr (rouble* New member* were 
Compelled to fell a peeled OOlOO .CTO#* 

tb* floor wlib tbelr no*** 

Haring goo* I brooch U»e torture 
prepared by tbe committee, a luorb 
*u aarted la tbe lunchroom. 


PAUL KiLP 
B-Stmu* One. HroJ 


DONALD SMITH 
-t -Senior C/oa. Head 


Miiiiiciipolls. Minn . October lit. 1928 


All City Press Club to 

Convene at North High 


For October 29—Kildnw 
To Speak at Club Analysis 
Gathering 

To tfUcasa tho manta of tba All Ctly 
•Vasa Club, tba Polarta 'lob Specs' 
HI bo hosts at s Oef Togolhsr Ssppvr 
to tba North blab loorb room oo Octc- 
bor 13, Miss Hsiao E_ BUIsO.II, in 
ar»ry adviser, accompanied by lbs vdt 
tocUl board of lbs Southerner Homo 
Rosa, managing sdltor. Aalrvd Aaday 
editor. Doyle Watcoo, da 
part moots oditor. Harry Melberg. 
•port editor, aod two otbar .tad mam 
bars who bava pot rat beoa cboaao 
will au.od 

ft "daw Ta Saaak 

Oo U>« protram will appssr Mr 
rrad L. Klldow, Iba boa Instructor lo 
tba School of Journalism at tho Uni¬ 
versity of MtBBoaota. who this roar 
to baodlo ibo National Scholastic 
Prows Association. furmcrly kno-o ta 
bo Contra! Scholastic Press Ataocla 
tlon 

VVbeo bo esmo to Mloooapolla two 
yaara sco. Professor Marloo Jobnsoe 
boad of ibo Drpartmoot of Journalism 
St tbo Uslveralfy suggest'd tba or- 
caoizsiioo of iba All city Press which 
plan bad proved such a auccsas la tbe 
city of Cleroland. 

New Teachers’ Guests 
At Annual Banquet 

lo a aottlbi of Japaooso cherry blos¬ 
soms aod Isolomo, tbo aooasl baoquet 
for Sovtb's arw teachers was risen 
yesterday in the teachers' lunchroom 
chow melo dlaoer was served at 
JO p m New facuity cnestt were 
Mist LuJwly kilta D Jscobssu. Mrs 
Could, Ur. Hstsr. Miss Car lay. Miss 
Oralf, Mrs Pbalpt. Mr Barnard, sod 
Mias Hammer Former lose bars of 
South Who returned ibis yaar wars not 
locluded In this group. 


Winning Dance Pair 
Win 'S' Hop Tickets 

Judpsd ts the bast dancers at 
•autl. at ths *•■ hap bald Frida, 
• vunlnp. October 1J. M in. „m«» 
•*«"*. Whara Taraas Julaath af 
■wa*" tm. and Clarsnaa drawthen 
•r ream IIS. la addltlan ta wire 
•n# l«la tHIa. ths auupJa war* plvan 
t'ck.ta lac ths naut dsnea. 

Aetm, .. judpaa af in. aentset 
wars Sam Geaca Smith. Mias Mabel 
Cartaan. Mlaa Sadia Ksttler. and 
Vam.n Ware. 


Gas Engine Classes 

Visit Reinhard Firm 

For tb* pnrvo9C of lo*p#ctlng lb 
dual rlri tor to c*lloo*l poaalbtlitl#*. 
•lod'Ms of Mr R F Jrooiog* »«nlor 
CM eaglo* rim#* mad* a trip to iba 
R* Id hard Orotber* Company. Wednr* 
day mornlog. Oriobwr 10 

Tbl* *hop la tbe lDrg#«t aulomoM**. 
• lorirL al aod radio repair ahop of Ita 
kind In tb* United Slate* Mr Perl 
atrom »uperlnf*od*ni of lb# *bop. f* 
pUInrd ib* advaoUgea aod oP port uni 
tl*» off*r*d a roaog mao pQlerlng ibia 
0*ld of work 


60 Biology Students 
Make Field Trip With 
Miss Peterson, Storm 

Hundred* of «olo*H*d bur** aod 
(hlelles. aa well aa *lghie*n dlfTereot 
kinds of wild flower* aod oam*ro«a 
*art*«le* of inaert. wer. aasembled 
br slaty biology a«udeota a* they 
trailed through ibe wood, of ibe Ml* 
alaalppl Fbsod Plalo. accompanied by 
MU« F Peleraoo. a art Mr A Slorm. 
wbUe no a fl*ld (rip Tbur^lay. Octiv 
ber I. in •*arrb of material for tbelr 
eoHeetloaa A (ortolaa butterfly waa 
aeea. but escaped capfur* 

"Beeau*. tba lint trip pru*ed ao 
aurceaafuL another will be taken 
aoon." aald Mlaa Pel*r*otL 


New Members Needed 
For Band, Orchestra 

Mualclana — now’* your rbaAc#' 
New member* are Deeded (o Increaa* 
bolb Ibe baod aod tbe orrhealr* AH 
you. who bar* * dealrw for tarn, aa 
aualeiao*. begin your ruwr sow at 
South high Position* are ope. for 
aludeala playlDg iba cello, rtola. airing 
basa and *lolln Poaltlooa In ibe or 
cheatr. are opeo to any oo* playing 
a baod loatrumeot Those wltb pre¬ 
vious musical (ral.lag may be able to 
get achool Instrument* 


Homer Smith to 
Speak at P.T. A. 

U of M Director to Address 
Croup on Vocational 
Guidance 

F-atovlnc lb« oro«r»m of tbe Pur 
eula aod Tear bora Aayoctatloa of 
Sooth flirt to bo bold October J«. ai 
k o'clock P M lo tba auditorium, 
will bo ao addreea by Dr Homer 
Smith, director of ladujtrtal educa 
lloo al ibe University of Mlnoeaota 
He will apeafe lo tbe group oo ibe aob- 
loci of Vocational Coldance - Stale 
Senator Arthur T Nelson and Princi¬ 
pal Joseph Jorfena will addreea the 
club 

Ir Ib Mlaa KeaUey'a room, a committee 
of olna memhera of tbo orcaoliatloo 
met aod ou'lined plaoa for tbe com 
lot rear Tbe froup waa composed 
of Mr* R A. Du hi. Mr 01l»er Preu 
■boa. Mr, Maud Walker. Mr, Ed¬ 
ward Flrnabr Met Aucuat Jobsaos 
Mr* J r Speedy. Mr H E Crl.be- 
now, Mlaa Sadie Keatler. and Mr 
Joseph Jorteoa 


Savings Club 
Elect Heads 
For Fall Term 

Lawrence Knott, 119. Chosen 
President—Meeting 
Date Changed 

Holdlnc Us Aral meeting this terra, 
tbe Thrift Club met in room 113. Oe 
tober * lo elect omcere for tb* fall 
1324 form. Lawrence Knott, room 
113. waa elected president. Lola 
Flynn, room 221. rice president. 
Dorothy Deacon, room 221. secretary 
treasurer, and Leonard Unn. room 
104. Waa chosen peoftrem chairman. 

Tbe time and ptaca of mectloi bay 
troeo cluoxed from tbe aecood and 
foortb Tboradoyy in room 215 at throe 
o'clock, lo lb# Bret aod Iblrd Thurs¬ 
days lo room 120 at aevro thirty In tbe 
earning. 

Members of tbe club deeded lo lory 
n due of twenty flee cents oo each 
member rather than to assess each 
ooc when money waa Deeded tor Ibe 
cloh 


C. L. P. Students 
Map Out Trips 

Freshmen Classes Have Made 
Three Excursions—Plan 
More for Term 

To rruafo a bwttar tinderstaodloc of 
tba aubjwct of C L P. cad u> trow* 
a grwat*r loterast la cooioanHy Ilf*, 
atrurtloaa a r" plaao*rt each term for 
tba alodaota of tba C L P claasaa 
Por tba Jl atadaau, a apaach at tba 
courihouaa oo Tb# Horn# aod Com 
muoHr,~ by Dr Roy U Smith, waa 
(ba Aral accoraloo of (ha (arm Fol- 
•owing tbla. tba claaaaa again mad* a 
trip to tba conrtbouac wbera they 
baard Sir Gaorge Womratb apaak oo 
tba aublact of Bualnaaa Oparatlooa 
lo tba Schools.” aod Mr* H, D KU 
gora school board m*a*b*» who «poka 
to 'ham oo How School* Am Opar 
start aod Malotaload 


Seniors Pick 
Officers For 
’28 FaU Term 

Donnld Smith F.leeletl to 
Lead A Seniors Tins 
Full 

Kilp Heads June Class 

Primars Election Mclh-xl U 
Suecv4»rnl, Miss 
"'iiil Sititcs 

When remit, „| me aeolor electlonA 
betd Mooda, and Tuesday (V'obet Id 
sod If to •■mm JU wer. anonuoced 
Dnsald Smllb wa. named president it 
■ be January <Uai aod Plul Klip woo 
ibis dlallorlton amend the June (rid 
uateu. 

I the A senior elections, a new 
method •*« ua*d. A primary election 
waa bold, al which itudenia chose tbelr 
nominee. A Anal election >u bold 
lo determine ofllcery. 

Donald defeated Harry M-tberi 
candidate for tbla oBIce hr but few 
•otea Tba oew ofheer held this post 
lloo durto* hit A Junior rear, hoi dor 
ln« bU B aeolor term, he waa forced 
lo flva Ibe prealduocy to Harry To 
Donald falls tbe honor of leadioa the 
march to January with Iba prealdeol 
of tbe Torch bearer. He will preside 
(ConUnued oo pa»» Three) 


Frice Six Cents 


Son s Future Occupation 

Is Principals Dilemma 


Russian Bom Frosh 
Tells of World War 
Hardships in Book 

wnun* a booh of hey Ilf. and ty». 
»!• la Ibe project which Mina Or-eld, 
• fraahmao «lrt, enrolled In the com 
•trial course in Mlaa Mosier'a room. 
202. has be duo. 

EWrtn* the World War Mina, with 
her mother, brother aod alaten. Heed 
In Kief. Russia Tbe family suffered 
Innumerable hardships Mlaa tells of 
a tlmo when Iweoly »y« families ll»ed 
la one room, tbe majority of them til 
wltb ao epidemic, tbe flu. They were 
»leen only coarse black bread to oat 
aod eery little care 

Finally, after the Armistice had 
been aldtied. Mina a mother, brother 
od aleter, found work. She, her 
self, danced and sand in a cafe. 


Strange Beast 
Has Its Den In 
South Basement 


“What. h« eats them allee!* Yea. 
Ira true. Al late hours of the olebL 
voracious boast, whose choseo 
habitat la somewhere Is tbe lower re¬ 
ctos* of Soutn bleb achool, Indultes 
ibo atrancesl of eatlnc habits 
Despite hi. murderous loleatloos and 
practice*, tbe culprit does oot hide In 
tbe day lime but blissfully elides 
• bout uomoleated as tboudb he were 
lord of the realm 

For eeeeral weeka he »enl ou a hnn- 
dor a tribe, but note recently he has 
hero known lo awallow three tnno- 
cool eictlma al ooe mouthful 

Por Iwo solid weeks tbla shock 
Inc crime has been tbe oocturnal 
pastime of Corky hlolocy pet rep¬ 
tile In Mlaa Pelersoo'a laboratory, 
room I tonoceot minnows constitute 
Corky'e favorite diet 

Shorthand Teacher 

Studies At Caton 

i a apaad artlat. Mra. Frmoca* 
Co*«ll. ahortbaod taackar la room 
101. la cr«4lr*d wlib doubla akIII M«.<ai 
bar vacation *•« davoiad to tba 
atwdy of abortbaod at Catoo Bnaloaaa 
Collage lo bar daalra to ba^ocoa tnor* 
aipan a« a ahortbaod teacher 

RjTallDg bar apwad ability aa a 
abortbaod writer (a har efflclaocy In 
motoring lo two waaka. Mra. Covall 
aod bar bu»baad covarad 1,400 mtl«« 
la (hair »r»p from Mlooaapolia 


109, Frosh Feminine 
Advisory. Organizes 

With the tflatlncSIaw .1 bein ( the 
•nly heme room In the bulldtnfl 
cewutukfhf entirely o> (IHe. the 
thlrty.nlne SB fryehmer, In at,.a 
JeciheaWe ruem, toe. have 
•rgenltad fee echleeeenenL 

They hive elected Bernice 
Wambom. pre.ident; Mildred Men 

tlneoA. attendance clerk. Oeraldlne 
MwdawA. he use-keeper; Anno 2an- 
•eky, flee let; and CdyShe Mae. 
hanker. 

Publication of 
All South Book 
Set October 30 

English Committee Arranges 
Two Programs for 
Introduction 

To promote Interest In "Glluts of 
the Send.- e book compooed of cre¬ 
ative student wrlclor* Moodny aod 
Tuesday. October 23 and Jo, her* been 
eet aside « -fast” dare to advortlee 
the book. The book does on tale (be 
second day of tbo advertlalnc cam 
p»ldn 

According L, Mine Ida V Nelsoo lo 
Chirce of (be profrum, two entertain 
meets will he presented In (he nudl- 
forlorn Numbers of (he profvam on 
Monday Include selections by Ibe 
echoed orchestra, n short talk by Mr 
Jordan# an announcement by Eo*eoe 
Haoley. treasurer of Pedaaua Poetry 
Club, the rendlod of (be foreword by 
Mlaa Rose Muckier, nod an outside 
speaker 

(Continued oo P*<e Three I 


Choral Clubs to 
Present Messiah 


Prescntution To Take Place 
in School Auditorium 
Before Christmas 

Coder Ibe direction of Mr Henry 
Crick#now ib# glee club* will preawnt 
tba M**«lah Juat before Cbrlatmoa. 
lb (he school audliorlum Thla will 
ba (he Oral line aloce (he oew nog* 
bss been built thor s R ti MUIIot of 
ibis kind bss beeo given lo sdduloo 
to tbe glee club oaober*. Mr 0rlebe> 
now will pick out (he best vocsllats 
from hi* cborua ctsaiea. sad lbe*e will 
Oil lo (be oeceasory ploces. Approxl 
mslely three hundred atudeola will 
(she part In Ihla *ni*rtslom*ot 


Spark Plug, Southerner Staff Heirloom, Loses 

Head and Tail; Thoroughbred Five Years Old 


Rustics are often deceived by so 
old rsralval ballyhoo (bat proclalav* 
Her# I* t bor*e with bL« head where 
bi* tall la supposed to be aod hi* uU 
wbera bis bead should be” After tba 
visit log victim bad psld bts quarter 
be was admitted to so locloaare where 
s bora* wm turned about lo a stall 
Tbai la apropos of nothing much 
Nevertheless Sooth high haa a be* 
loved bora* who po•*#»»«• oeliher 
head nor lolL He la 3park Plug of 
the Southerner stable Truer thorough 
bred never lined up of (ba barrier 
than ba. Vet. oow. because of accl 
deot. be baa loat both boad aod tall 
»par+y Without Head a«d Tall 
True to Ufa. Spark Plug has bts 
much patched coat aod fan boat boots 
but that isn't frttlog bis boad back. 
Ha has had many owners but o#v#r 


ooe before tbai. lo wo* audiJeo out 
burat or soger, bit bia tall off That 
wa« bad enough but when Sparky * 
b*ad was kooch*4 off. be lost col 
lapsed All that poaelhly can be dooe 
La being dooe lo cooaole bun Poor 
Sparky* He la wlUlog to five bia 
kingdom for a bead.” 

Estrada f*wm “Sparky'#'" History 

Tba much Ill-used Spark plug has 
seen better daya He was mascot to 
ibe Southeroer Representative* when 
they attended a cooveolloo at CbU 
holm oo the Raoge. aboot five year* 
ago Later on, be alood guard over 
valuable not** belonging to varloo* 
staff member*, but the position waa 
oot lo last long Through some ml* 
bap (be paper* ware stolen aod 
Sparky was without a Job Imagine 
bia embarrassment! 


How old la Sparky and where waa 
be born? Well goodoea* only koow* 
Tradition l#*d* os to bellern that, 
upon her return (rom (he Mlooeaota 
High School Preaa Association Coo 
vent loo la I9U. Ml«« BUIadoll opened 
her grip aod—presto—there was 
Sparky t Among ’h* paper* that 
Sparky protected waa ooe making the 
requeet that he should rest hla bead 
oo tbe window tlU of the Southerner 
office for ’ere aod a day * Bat a 
pencil sharpener bas since been In 
stalled there aod Sparky wa* moved 
lo o lea* comfortable poaltloo, where 
he has aloce ramaload 

Pat Daalra# PmHJosi 
J ust now. this glass replica of 
Barney Google s pet l* without a Job. 
head, aod 1*0. Where, oh wbera. wU) 
we aver hod a mascot to (ill his placer 


Family Ponders on Whether 
Junior s Ability to Score 
Roll'* Eye Indicates Good 
Business Profession 

Proyloi no nrvptloa ta (ha fula 
Principal Jorcona' family prasvDU tbv 
u,unl flunndsry la tba boussbold as 
roturv vocstlona of tba yountfar mam 
barn of tba group. If blttlnc tba 
bull'* aya oo a uncat with a 22 tallbor 
Ram loft no. aa ptclurcfl abova. tod I 
entaa a bus I ova. proles, ton. If rv 
pulrlox s Inka bout shows aoklnrovtnj 
ability, than lau yaur-old Jos.pb Juolor 
bus promise of msklDC rood lo fttbvr 
carwr If pltcblny > good rurva lo 
busaball prophrstaa an artist, cunar. 
this luff a aorcata Is assurafl In tbla 
profraaloa. Altboukb be possvuav 
football to*.,- loclurllny tba Isckvt 
and shoulder braces. Mr Jortena dnaa 
oot believe that hla sou will try to 
wreat honors (rom South’s famous 
footb.il ,Ur. -Molly- Nydsbl. 

Follow in< bar motbar's bam lo dra 
malic Ulaot. Mr Jorcana daucbtvr. 
Jean, honor sludent of Ibe Jsouary T3 
Class of West bi*b school, bss tba 
lead Infl role In tho class play 
-Poouodar Walk." 

Tbo Jorcaas family Is plaoolnc lo 
spend weak vods sf tbalr summer 
homo near Octtvta. Minnesota. The 
farm l> situated on one side of Lake 
Ann, named alter Mr* Jorcana 


High School Essay Vie 
Held by W. C. Durant 

For an c**ay on Iba br*f plan lo 
make tba El(btr«nlb Amendment af 
r*eu*e. n Iwenlrflae thousand dollar 
Brito U offered by W C Durant Ao 
eddlUooat price of fl*a thousand dol 
lar* will be awarded to tba ortelnnior 
of tba beat eaaay smonc tba bleb 
vcbool* and preparatory school* only 
To ctva etpranloo to the people» 
tbonebu on the aubjact of taw ao 
forcemaol, particularly of prohibition. 

tbo object of the cootret. Each 
school la ootltlcd lo ooo plan only, 
sod all essays must ba typewrit too 
•ad entered loto (ba conleal before 
December Aral Prltea will be awarded 
December 2$. 


Four Plays Considered 
By City Studio Players 

Amoag th* plsya being ronalrterert 
tentatively by the Studio player* for 
the *e*ancf* program are 'White 
Wing*. "The Master RuUder.” 

ice.” and 'Al Mr* Beams." accord 
Ing lo MU* Helen Fi*5. drama (esebev 
of room J1S. Mis* Fish L* s member 
of the board of director* of this or 

gnalCAUoa 


‘S’ Band Director 
Leaves Hospital 

Allen Abbott RocupernlinK 
Al Home After Six 
Weeks' Illness 

After spending «ix w*ek* al lh« 
Dvsconn*** floapltsl. Mr Allen Ah 
boo. director of the South High Band 
sod Orchestra, ba* rutnrued to bis 
borne wber* be L* now convalescing 
from s recent illne** Glad to be *t 
home be lighten* the long boor* by 
cnforing bis radio. Mr Abbott is not 
allowed to receive visitor* but be 
hop#* to bear from hla friend* si South 
high achool by telephone Tbe Soolb 
eru*r keep* him la (ouch wlib *chool 
set I vlilen. 

During the flv* rears (hat Mr Ab¬ 
bott ba* been directing South’* bsqd 
I Is membership bss Increased from 
seventeen to seventy four player* sod 
has woo three cooewcutJve vuts 
championship* Mr Abbott vxpects to 
return to hla work to n very abort 
KM. 


Alumni Plan 
Homecoming 
November 2 

Annual S' Reunion I* Dale 
Of South, Central 
Grid Game 

Proceeds Go To Band 

Faculty Committee Plan AU 
Dny Program in 
Auditorium 

ComblolhC Or.use sod Block day 
with h>>mrcomt„c, plans sra wall under 
way for in. annual "tvbrsllna to ba 
Cron November i tba day of tba 
South Cvotrsl football nat 
Tb. following - ommltlros bars boon 
appolDtad to assist In plnnnlnc tba 
proersm, dancloc. dscnrslions. ton 
Duel sod tba aandlox *f iBvIutlooa lo 
slumnt Mr Warns Johnson, tlckeu. 
Dr Charles Markarl. proirum. Mr*. 
Henry Dsn I, dinner and publicity. Me. 
Erneet Grseeodar. advenlalnc. sod 
MIm Msrfsret Malbewa. auditorium 
proersm 

Alumoi lo Char«e .< Bnoflua* 
Alumni will kora rbarc* of tba bso- 
OOM. and a l.nutl.i proersm bos b—a 
plsnnad Dr Cbnrlac Markan will set 
•• toastmaster Toasts will bs msda 
by Mr Artbor T Nalmw. prosld.nf af 
(ha aloraol asaoclslloo. Judea Lsory. 
Mr Walfar E Jobasoo Mr J V CL 
Flahsy. Mrs Msnlry Fomwvs. Mr. 
oaeph Jorteoa. Mr SUolay Johnson, 
and Mr KaaoaU) Johnson Tbs last 
Iwo ■ pea hers war* presidents of Iba 
January sod June '24 classes. 

For tbs purposa of raising monsy 
(O boy unlfortna for (ha band a ros- 
(lnuoua proersm and sola will ba cos- 
dacted tbroughool (be bolldlng on tbl* 
day. 

Sebval Caters Oo Bala 
Banners, raps, flowers end Mhvr 
crtldaa made of tba irhool colors will 
ba placod oo tala Amonc Iba rarlooa 
•luma planned ms a flab pood, gypsy 
fortune telling, a silhouette sod old 
curiosity shop Booths (or shot sblo 
OX. and Christmas cards are batng 
arranged for 

A continuous proersm will be elreo 
In the auditorium Tbla will locludu 
•adertlle and movies 
Fmcolly members In chores of lbs 
srrsneemenls for Orange end BtecB 
Dor are Miss Grace Smith. Miss 
Harriet Lurae. Silts Bessie P Kntgbl. 
Miss Mabel Carlson, and Mlaa Harriet 
Molln. chairman 

U. S. Navy Band 
Gives Program 

Coinhinnlion of Classical, 
Jazz Music Promised 
For October 22 

lo the double role of rendering n 
combination of Jasi tad classic music 
o ooe program, s real bll la promised 
whan iba Untied Suits Nary Sand 
give* lu manors sod yeaning per¬ 
formance Monday October 22. tl lbs 
Muolclpal Auditorium under tho 
auspices o' Uir Minneapolis Tsacherw' 
League 

Due lo Iha earlaly of call# foe bond 
service, (bis orgsnluiioo It composed 
of several aolta Amoag Iba most 
popular noils la Iha Toiled Suite Nary 
Jait Band which wlu giro pari of tba 
numbers at tbe matinee performance. 

lo a llltle more (ban sic years, this 
organization, composed almost entirely 
of men under forty has atuloed so 
enviable position lo Iba musical world. 
Due to tbla emioeoce, Ibe baod Is ahlo 
lo cocomaod Iba service* of Ibe Art 
of (he oallon'a mualclsos sod «ol4*u, 
who forego larger sglarlea for the ar¬ 
tistic bcocflls lo be derived from mem¬ 
bership In this group Several of Ibaes 
man have studied under Old World 
master* lo raotlc. Msoy hare con¬ 
ducted orchestras of Ibelr owo. That 
e*ery soloist ba* (be rsak of baod- 
m*,lcr 4peaks for llaalf. 


Miss Guy’s History 
Classes Introduce 
Novel Study Plan 

For tba purpose of atudylsg eurroof 
event*, pupils of Miss Ann Guy's 
World History classes bars organized 
baseball learns. Similar lo athletic 
■ earn.*, each has a pitcher aod a 
catcher the pitcher throwing a ques¬ 
tion St the batter sf ih* opposing aide, 
which. If oot answered by th* batter, 
ta caught bp the catcher t'nl'ke base 
ball, the hatter ts allowed only one 
•tribe, but be most aoswor Ibreo onaa- 
tloae correctly to make a score Stu¬ 
dents who bar* helped to make tbo 
plan aoccoaaful are Lawrence Qsrl- 
June Carlson. Marloo Johnson. 
Virginia Cola, John Rosts. John 
Croat, and Richard Johaaoo. 


An Inviting Front Page 

Here is a well-balanced makeup, using headlines set in caps and lower 
case, and enlivened by clear engravings. The page achieves good contrast 
and emphasis. Note how the three-column head at the bottom weights 
down the page. 


































































































172 


WRITING FOR PRINT 




Proofreaders’ Marks 
Cap Capitalize, 
lc Lower case; small letter. 

5 Delete; omit. 

stet Restore the words crossed out. 

A Insert at the place indicated. 

O Insert a period. 

A Insert a comma, 

y Insert quotation-marks. 

*/ Insert a hyphen. 

X Imperfect letter. 
c) Letter inverted; turn over. 

% Make a new paragraph. 

No Tf No paragraph. 

# Put a space between. 

Smaller space. 

O Close up; no space needed. 

V A Badly spaced; space more evenly. 
w Quad shows between the words; shove down, 
wf Wrong font, 
tr Transpose. 

P Carry to the left. 

I_ 1 Lower. 

I —1 Elevate; 

Straighten crooked lines, 
lead Add lead between the lines. 

5 lead Take out lead. 

(?) Query: Is the proof correct? 


8 . Many headlines are set by hand. Look for letters that are 
smaller or larger than they should be. Mark the proof wf meaning 
wrong font. 

9. Write all corrections in the margin and not in the body of the 
set matter, and see that the lines indicating changes do not become 
confusing. 

10. Watch for transpositions, probably the most common error 
in machine-set type, as rahter for rather. 

11 . Above all things read proof accurately . 


EDITING AND MAKEUP 


173 


i—-— H- 




9 

h* 

# 

to. 


MARKING THE ERRORS- 

Printing is a progressive study. Some operations require 
more skill than others. A thorough knowledge of all, stop by stop, 
throughout the entire course is essential to good,workmanship. 

Assembling letters to form words and sentences, commonly 
called composing, is excellent practice and will lead to correct 
spelling. Such^exercises^ar^yven^othe^students^shortljfafter {a. 
they enroll in the print shop. ' 

A more difficult undertaking, at least one that requires me® 
advanced knowledge, is proofreading. To be a successful proof¬ 
reader one jriust have a trained eye to discover misspelled words^ 
ungrammatical sentences, and many imperfections which are 
called erors. Familiarity with the marks used by proofreaders 
to signify that which is faulty and needs correcting is necessary x 
beforeattempting to read proof. 

Errors may be made by the typesetter, found by the proof A O. H 
reader and correctly marked, but if the corrections are not 
properly made additional mistakes iptfV appear in the printed wi&O 
page thrQ^gh gross carelessness or inexperience. 

Therefore, every operation in the school print shop requires 

Proofreading and correctingvery important toward dhJL 


cS 

s&t 


/// 

’/ 


U# 

'iXa-ZoO good printing. 

Study this card faithfully, become familiar with the proof- O 
readers marks and know their meaning, /earn about the various = 

V marks and characters frequently used in printing^Mathemati- _i_ £.c. 
OiJL cal. Arithmetical, XauticA, Medical, Astronomical, Commercial, j£. c. 
and others. To become familiar with them will be helpful to 
every student of printing. 


Benefits of Printing- 


f, 


Printing is immensely fasinating*Zand one never forgets the 
pleasant experiences of the school print shop. A course of print¬ 
ing in a measurejnakes readers for life, and gives^appreciation 
. . of me part printing has played in the disemination of thought 

WuL and ideas. 

The aim of the school print shop is not only to direct one in 
training in the <y (of printing/it will also develop an appreciation j 
for the tremendous part this'practical art has played in develop¬ 
ing our present social organizations. j , 

fin that respect it is the outstanding medium of education. 

Many of the world’s most successful men worked at printing 
in their youthful day^Benjamm called / The Father of S.C. 

Printingin this country, is perhaps the best known. What print¬ 
ing did for them it will, in a measure, do for others if they apply 
L, themselves in the same f^thful manner. The study of printing 
. makes a strong appeal to young people with ambition. An ecel- 

[ en t means to get a general education is that of printing. 

— -—- See reverse side for complete list of proofreaders’ marks. 


V ? l 


hXrwe 

Ho *3? 
© 


s 


<y 


— Courtesy Barnhart Brothers and Syindler, Chicago 


How Proof is Read 

This brief article about printing contains much valuable information. 


Arrangement of Advertising. Advertisements should be 
symmetrically set up and attractively arranged. One of the 
best methods to bring reading text and advertising masses 
into close contact is the so-called “stair-step” makeup, 
beginning with an advertisement at the bottom of the page 
and continuing the ads to the upper right-hand corner. This 
arrangement gives the page an appearance of neatness and 
care. The news fills its own alloted portion of the page, 









174 WRITING FOR PRINT 

while neither news nor advertising encroaches one on the 
other. Hodgepodge methods of arranging advertising at the 
expense of the news is damaging to both. 

Pictures and Engravings. One of the best investments the 
staff can make is the purchase of a camera for the taking of 
photographs to be used in illustrating stories for publication. 


— Courtesy Chicago l)aily News 
A Halftone Picture that Tells a Story 

If these youngsters knew they were being photographed, there is no 
evidence of the fact. This is a typical scene, natural, graphic, and rich in 
qualities that make a good illustration to accompany a “feature.” 

Prints from these negatives may be furnished local news¬ 
papers for the making of cuts, group layouts, which in turn 
may be run later by the school weekly. Live pictures aid 
in makeup and give graphic appeal to type pages. If a 
student photographer is commissioned to get the views, care 
should be taken to snap characteristic action into the photo¬ 
graph. Stiff studio posing is worse than no picture at all. 
A glimpse of girls busy at their tasks in a domestic science 





EDITING AND MAKEUP 175 

demonstration is reproduced herewith, as an example of 
what can be done when the camera man has news sense. 

Two kinds of cuts are used in newspapers, halftones and 
line engravings , both produced by photographic process. For 
a halftone print, the picture is first photographed through a 
screen of cross-lines in the engraver’s camera, so that it is 
broken into tiny dots, larger in the shadows and smaller in 
the lights. Hence the name halftone. The stippled face of 
the cut takes printer’s ink much better than if it were a flat 
surface. The halftones may be made with varying number 
of dots, determined by the mesh of the engraver’s screen. 
For newspaper reproduction coarse halftones of zinc are 
preferred; for magazine and book work a finer screen and 
more durable copper face. 

A good example of a line drawing is the cartoon, reproduced 
on a zinc printing plate that bears on its surface the lines of 
the original drawing in black and white with no intermediate 
shadings. Such reproductions are generally taken from draw¬ 
ings made three times larger than the finished engraving. 

Both types of cuts are shown in this book. 

Poor photographs handicap engravers. If the print is not 
sharp and clear, it is best to throw it away and get another 
exposure. Cuts cost considerable money and should not be 
ordered without approval of the adviser. Once made, they 
may be labeled and stored in a cabinet for future use in 
illustrating stories about students, instructors, and alumni. 


CHAPTER XI 


THE REPORTER’S USE OF WORDS 1 

Ancestry of Words. Words like men go on strange odys¬ 
seys. They see much, bear hard buffetings; and if a word 
could speak for itself as well as it speaks for others it might 
say with Ulysses in Tennyson’s poem, “I am a part of all 
that I have met.” 

The little word “nice,” for example, has quite a past to 
look back upon when it isn’t busy — which is very seldom, 
these days. It was born of a Latin word, nescius, meaning 
“foolifeh” or “ignorant.” That is what it means in Shake¬ 
speare, and what it had been meaning for centuries before 
Shakespeare came to London to try his hand at acting. 
Then,as England entered into the eighteenth, the “civilized” 
century, “nice” became narrowed down to mean foolish 
over trifles. Then it gradually took on the meaning of exact, 
discriminating, because a nice person was likely to be one who 
was careful of little things. Today it still holds this meaning 
in good writing, but among people who are not nice in their 
speech, it is probably the most general of all words meaning 
good, excellent — a colorless label of semi-approval. 

English is truly the melting-pot language of the world. 
Almost every great language has contributed and may be 
said to hold stock in the English tongue. Of the twenty-five 
principal languages to which the English vocabulary is 
mainly traceable, Spanish has given it such words as contra¬ 
band and stampede; Dutch, yacht, furlough; Arabic, maga¬ 
zine, assassin; Greek, priest, dialogue; French, program, 
prestige; Italian, cartoon, bust; Hindustani, bungalow, and 

1 The authors are indebted to Professor Lawrence Martin, of the Me d ill 
School of Journalism, for some of the material used in this chapter. 

176 


THE REPORTER’S USE OF WORDS 


177 


so on. In spite of all these borrowings, English is basically 
a Germanic language, greatly enriched by Norman-French. 

Stories in Words. A language may be looked upon as a 
great epic or novel in which the separate words are the 
characters. TJiere are heroes and villains among them. In 
every one of these language-novels there are three main 
kinds of plots, which go by the very pretentious names of 
“generalization/’ “specialization,” and “degeneration.” 

An example of generalization is seen in the history of 
“place.” From a Greek word meaning wide , it was quite 
early applied to a wide street or square. Today it may 
mean any location or situation, mental as well as physical, 
for example, as in the phrase, “in the first place.” “Pain” 
once meant fine or money compensation, then punishment 
for crime; now it means any kind of suffering, mental as 
well as physical, whether punishment or not. 

“Generalization” is the widening of a word’s meaning; 
“ specialization ” is its narrowing or intensification. Con¬ 
sider the words that used to be employed for “throw.” The 
old Anglo-Saxon word was warp, but with use it became too 
weak, evidently, for it gradually lost out to a borrowing 
from the Scandinavian, cast. “Warp” still remains in the 
language with traces of its original meaning. A piece of 
wood, when warped, is thrown out of its plane, and the same 
holds true when we say that some one’s judgment is warped. 
“Cast” triumphed because it was a new, strong word, but 
it too lost out, and stays in the language today only in a 
figurative meaning, as in “forecast” and “to cast up 
accounts.” The new word that forced it out was the powerful 
“throw” which originally meant turn and twist in torture. 
We still say “thrown out of joint.” Today there are signs 
that we are tired of “throw,” that it has grown old and weak; 
and every boy who substitutes fire, shoot, sling, peg for throw 
is illustrating this never-resting movement of change in 
language. 

Changes in Meaning. Equally interesting is the degenera- 


178 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


tion plot in language. Words, it seems, have a very human 
tendency to lose their respectability. In “nice” we saw a 
word that had climbed up out of bad beginnings, traveling 
from foolish to excellent. Many words, alas, travel down¬ 
ward. 

“Vile,” for example, originally meant cheap. The same 
sad fate is overtaking the word “cheap” itself, which is 
gradually acquiring the connotation of shoddy, mean, poor, 
vulgar, common. “Common” and “vulgar” were both good 
words in olden times, meaning belonging to the ordinary 
people; but now they usually mean that in a bad sense. 

Two words connected with the theater have fascinating 
pasts. Foyer is the French word for hearth (same derivation 
as our word “fire”) as well as the Anglicized French word 
for theater lobby. In the seventeenth-century French 
theater the heating responsibilities rested with two huge 
fireplaces in the rear of the auditorium, where in winter 
between acts, the audience promenaded and tried to get its 
blood to circulating again. We borrowed the word and the 
thing, including the fireplaces, but in an age of steam and 
electric heat we have discarded the fireplaces and kept the 
word. 

“Scene” is very old, taking us back to the very beginnings 
of the theater. Back of the Greek stage of the sixth century 
b.c. stood a tent which the actors used as a dressing room. 
This tent was called the skene, as all tents were called skene 
or skins, because that is what they were made of in precanvas 
days. By and by some one got the notion of painting a 
picture on the side of the tent facing the audience. This pic¬ 
ture has grown in size until it fills up the whole of back-stage 
space; and the word has grown so that, when we talk now 
of beautiful scenic tours, we go back to ancient days when 
men’s clothing and habitations were of skin. 

Words are modest; they do not brag about themselves; 
and often we might look at them instead of beyond them with 
profit and some pleasure, for when closely examined, they 


THE REPORTER’S USE OF WORDS 


179 


reveal secrets of strange goings-on in the world of men. 
When a word comes down from old times, things stick to it 
along the way, things that the curious person would be 
unwilling to miss. 

Acquaintanceship with Words. The real equipment of a 
writer is a mental one. Not only must he be able to see 
clearly but he must be able to make other people see as well. 
Not only must be he able to remember what he hears but 
he must be able to convey that information to some one else. 
And to perform this function he must have at his instant 
command words and phrases that adequately transfer his 
ideas, impressions, memories, experiences, and observations 
to the mind of the reader. This is not so easy an assign¬ 
ment as collecting the facts for a news story, but it is essential 
to the success of any boy or girl who aspires to become a 
reporter. He needs to have a wide acquaintanceship with 
all sorts of words and to use them with discrimination and 
skill. 

It is the purpose of this chapter to show how these symbols 
of mutual understanding may best be employed and how the 
writer may find the easiest road to the mind of his reader. 

As a test case, here is a story of a lion fight. A study of 
the concrete symbols used by the writer will be profitable. 

A battle to the death between two enraged lions at the Detroit 
Zoological Park has cut down the lion den by one and put Leo in 
undisputed authority over the leonine group. 

The fight began following a jealous rage on the part of Leo, who 
had assumed the position of overlord. Visitors to the Zoo have 
noted him sitting in solitary grandeur high up on the rocky face of 
the den and sending out roars of defiance from time to time. His 
rival, Menelik, a somewhat smaller lion, sent snarls up to Leo once 
in a while but made no direct attack. 

The lions were being driven from the open den to the cages in the 
rear of the rocked wall and a space of about six inches was left be¬ 
tween the door of the cages and the sliding door that provides a 
passage from Leo’s cage to his rival’s. 

The smaller lion thrust his paw under the door and Leo seized it. 
In the struggle to tear away his paw Menelik got a shoulder under 


180 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


the door and it was raised. In an instant Leo was in the other cage, 
and the uproar of their battle rang out over the park. 

Terrific snarls, growls and roars brought attendants running 
from all directions. The other lions, excited over the battle, added 
their roars and howls to the deafening racket. A fire hose was 
turned on the battling lions, drenching them and sending them 
reeling against the back of the cage but in no wise separating 
them. 

Blank cartridges were fired close to their heads, but they were in¬ 
different to anything but the bitterness of their struggle. The whole 
line of cages shook with the fury of the big bodies as they hurled 
themselves about in the narrow confines of the cage. 

Bullets were not used as the guards feared they would kill both 
beasts, and if the worst came to worst the victor, at least, would 
emerge alive. Iron bars were used to beat the struggling lions, but 
straws might as well have been used. 

Leo, at last, with a lightning swift lunge caught his rival by the 
throat and sank his great teeth deep in the yellow throat. A rain 
of blows failed to make him loose his grip until the rival collapsed 
in his jaws. 

He then was driven back and into his own cage. The rescue, 
however, came too late. Menelik bled to death a few minutes after 
his slayer had been subdued. 

The hide of the dead Menelik has been given to Walter O. Briggs, 
who gave the den of eight lions — now seven — to the city. He 
plans to have a rug made from it. 

A careful examination of Leo indicated that he suffered no in¬ 
juries of any moment. His heavy mane protected his throat. The 
imprint of Leo’s four fangs made as many complete holes in Mene¬ 
lik’s skin. 

— Detroit News 

Poetry probably comes nearer to fulfilling this vivifying 
function of words than any other written medium. The 
student of word values may improve his art immeasurably 
by the reading of good verse and by attempting to write it. 
For example, study the imagery of this poem: 1 

THE WEATHER 

Sometimes the weather is a man 
With gray cloak flying free; 

His coat of mail is icy hail, 

1 Reprinted from The Youth's Companion by permission. 


THE REPORTER’S USE OF WORDS 


181 


A stormy steed rides he. 

I cuddle in my bed at night 
With curtains gathered fast, 

While just outside the window pane, 

With clinking spur and rattling rein, 

He gallops, gallops past. 

Sometimes the weather is a girl 
With eyes of bonny blue; 

Gay flowers twined in every curl, 

Green buckles on each shoe; 

Her mantle’s wrought of shining gold, 

Her face is sweet with fun; 

She reaches out and takes my hand, 

And, laughing, through the happy land 
We run, run, run! 

— Nancy Byrd Turner 

When the young writer is tempted to use a vague, abstract 
term, let him pause for a moment in search of a more specific 
symbol. The word “ instrument,” for instance, may resolve 
itself into for ceps, needle, scalpel, microscope; the all-inclusive 
“mechanical energy” may live again in snorting locomotive, 
grinding brakes, chugging motor, shrieking whistle. To say 
that a thing is lovely means very little to the reader; let 
the reporter specify why it is lovely and attempt to picture 
its loveliness. 

The Gaudy Word. The artist in words, however, is apt 
to lay too much color on his canvas in his effort to be pic¬ 
turesque. This is particularly true when he is caught on the 
crest of some enthusiasm or emotion, which impels him to 
seek ornate adjectives under the delusion that adjectival 
ecstasies make for force. Quite the opposite is true. Re¬ 
pression is generally more effective, more convincing, than 
gaudy decorations. 

A newspaper legend affirms that an “ enraptured” cub 
reporter once produced this word picture of a fire: 

The grim, red god of fire demanded his toll on 
Smith street yesterday. Pandemonium prevailed 
when he slaked his appetite on a magnificent 
residence at 4 p. m. The building was soon one 
continuous, seething inferno, and great tongues 




182 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


of flame leaped high toward the heavens, seeking 
to poison with their fury the billows of smoke 
and send them on and away to carry further 
destruction elsewhere. Great streaks of livid 
light shot through the pall of blackness which 
hung overhead and outlined the monster, rolling 
gaseous clouds in grim and ghastly figurations. 
Soon the residence stood a gaunt specter of its 
former self, its massive timbers holding up and 
standing forth like huge skeletons lashed by the 
hellish tongues of the furies of inferno. 


Now, of course, word photography does hold an important 
place in newspaper writing. Graphic description serves as a 
setting to interpret a dramatic incident, but mere piling up of 
extravagant words and phrases does not build reader-interest. 
The seasoned reporter, sent to get news about the fire, would 
have investigated the cause, found out about the loss of 
life and property, described how the firemen worked to 
save adjoining buildings. A bystander’s impressions of the 
blaze as a colorful spectacle might be included in the news 
story, but only as incidental scenery. 

The Familiar Word. A reporter who wrote that a so¬ 
ciety had been organized for the “distinction” of the fly, 
honored the fly, but did not show his own capacity to use 
words correctly. Long, high-sounding words, whose meaning 
is not clearly understood by the writer and which bring con¬ 
fusion to the reader because of their unfamiliarity, should be 
carefully avoided. To speak of “performing ablutions,” 
when the reporter means “washing the face” is a stilted 
affectation. 

A notice was given to applicants for admission to a flying- 
school in Australia that they must show that they possessed 
inherent flying ability. Some of the candidates asked in 
what this ability consisted. They were told that 

“the pilot must possess the innate faculty of selective and in¬ 
stinctive discrimination of the stimuli of the sensormotor apparatus 
to harmoniously adjust metabolic changes in physiological and 
psychological equilibrium in such manner as to comprehend and 
assimilate instruction in the attributes essential to perform the 




THE REPORTER’S USE OF WORDS 183 

intricate and complex operations which constitute the details of 
pilotage.” 

The idea underlying this assortment of words seems to be 
that a successful airman must have a “feeling” for flying, 
just as a reporter must have a “feeling” for writing. A 
scientific treatise may deal in technical terms unfamiliar to 
the layman, but newspaper stuff must use familiar words 
that do not require frequent journeys to the dictionary to 
find out their meanings. 

Of course, preference for short, familiar words does not 
mean adopting the vocabulary of the school primer. Many 
ideas cannot be expressed readily in the language of the 
street. 

Don Marquis once wrote a little poem on the subject of 
word selection which serves to puli the pompous writer in his 
proper place. It reads: 

I do not work in verse or prose, 

I merely lay out words in rows; 

The household words that Webster penned — 

I merely lay them end to end. 

The Emphatic Word. A writer is like a railway brakeman 
— it is his business to couple scattered words into complete 
sentences so that they move swiftly and smoothly toward a 
specific destination. The locomotive is the driving force of 
a train; the opening words, properly placed, do a similar 
service in propelling the well organized sentence. 

The beginning and end of the sentence need careful atten¬ 
tion. If the headlight word, one which represents an impor¬ 
tant thought unit is shoved into the center of the train or 
attached to the end as a caboose, the entire sentence fails 
to make the grade. Nouns and verbs, brought into close 
relationship, pull most of the load. Adjectives and adverbs 
help, but their contribution has been greatly overestimated. 

Note how emphasis to the main thought is achieved in this 
sentence taken from Kingsley’s Westward Ho! 


184 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Land! Land! Land! Yes, there it was, far away to the south and 
west, beside the setting sun, a long blue bar between the crimson 
sea and golden sky. Land at last, with fresh streams, and cooling 
fruits. ... And there, too, might be gold, and gems, and all the 
wealth of Ind. Who knew ? 

Take another example: 

Penny papers, tabloids, and the like are destined to remain un¬ 
read on the street cars of Los Angeles if the newly organized Com¬ 
muters School proves a success. In their place, passengers will pore 
over history, English, economics, law, and natural science texts, or 
volumes dealing with advertising, art appreciation, home building, 
gardening, aviation. 

Every day is registration day for this school. Work begins each 
morning when the motormen in the big red suburban cars clang 
their bells. Then busy workingmen and women will take out their 
texts and become students. And when the ride is over, part of their 
day’s lesson will be done, to be completed on the way home. Thus 
it may come to be said that many leading men and women ac¬ 
complished much of their schooling. And in this way educators 
plan to make knowledge a common possession in California’s 
metropolis. 

In the foregoing, observe how the conditional clause is at¬ 
tached at the end of the first sentence, also how the second 
sentence adroitly continues the thought stated in the opening 
words. Paragraphs that follow are so skillfully coupled to 
the statement in front, that the whold train of words moves 
forward without jar or friction. 

In this connection, here is a classic bit of advice given by 
Flaubert to de Maupassant: 

Whatever one wishes to say, there is only one noun to express it, 
only one verb to give it life, only one adjective to qualify it. Search, 
then, till that noun, that verb, that adjective are discovered; never 
be content with ‘very nearly/ never have recourse to tricks, how¬ 
ever happy; or to buffooneries of language; to avoid a difficulty. 
This is the way to become original. 

The Rhythm of Sentences. Few words may be considered 
apart from their relations to other words. Often stragglers 


THE REPORTER’S USE OF WORDS 


185 


at the end of the sentence give the impression of complete 
disorganization, when only a moment’s thought is necessary 
to get them into their proper places in the line of march. 
Sentence rhythm needs to be studied carefully. A good way 
to find and rectify awkward formations is to read the sentence 
aloud; then make necessary alterations to bring smoothness 
and charm to the entire production. 

In one of his essays written for the Society of Pure English, 
Robert Bridges, the poet, quotes this example of preposi¬ 
tional warfare: 

Sick Girl (to her nurse): I want to be read to. 

Nurse: What book do you want to be read to out of ? 

Girl: Robinson Crusoe. 

(Nurse cannot find that book so she brings the next best thing, 11 The 
Swiss Family Robinson.”) 

Girl: What do you bring me that book to be read to out of for? 

Figures of Speech. The newspaper may make the state¬ 
ment: 

Mrs. Selma Weiss of 1756 West Division Street 
was out yesterday with her civic broom. As a 
civic cooperator — one of the thousand ap¬ 
pointed for the betterment of the city by Mayor 
Thompson — she exercised her duty of sweeping 
the Sixteenth ward of cobwebs in such matters 
as sanitation, fire prevention, and loose papers. 

When one reads this a picture swims before the eyes, a 
picture of the woman who swept the cobwebs out of the sky. 
Mrs. Selma Weiss, however, is a real woman sweeping the 
Sixteenth Ward with a civic broom. In fact, her house¬ 
keeping extends over an entire block. Of course, no one 
would take this description literally; it is a figure of speech. 

Does any reader ponder the meaning of such words as 
“American Boys Called to the Colors”? The colors stand 
for the flag, the red, white, and blue. We see flags waving, 
troops marching, crowds huzzahing; that is, the word colors 
connotes, or suggests feelings and sensations not indicated 
by the literal meaning of the word. 




186 WRITING FOR PRINT 

An editorial writer summed up his opinion of claptrap 
policies advocated by a pompous candidate for governor when 
he called them as “ unimportant as a new scratch on a four- 
year-old automobile” — a striking comparison known as a 
simile. A paragrapher on a high school paper coined another 
felicitous simile when he said that the football coach was as 
busy as a one-armed man trying to open an umbrella. 

When a writer omits the words “as” and “ like” and simply 
calls a thing by another name, he produces a metaphor: 

Bob Larkin was a stone wall of defense. 

His talk was an incessant play of fireworks. 

Figurative devices convey the meaning better than formal 
description, patched with generalizing words and phrases. 
When skillfully used, figures of speech save a multitude of 
words and bring vividness to newspaper writing. 

Young writers often offend, however, in mixing their 
figures of speech. A reporter once wrote that ‘ the aviator 
left no stone unturned to win the altitude record,” which 
may be matched by the expression “the orator was not 
blinded by the blare of the brass band.” Excursions in 
English may safely be undertaken by trained writers. It is 
better to produce plain, rugged prose than to relapse into 
far-fetched similes and metaphors meant only to exhibit 
one’s literary cleverness. 

Slang, Good and Bad. Slang, which clothes old ideas in 
new garments, and brings a fresh tang to life, deserves a 
place in the word box of the reporter. When it becomes 
cheap jargon, the lazy man’s refuge, it ceases to command 
respect. 

The chief objection to slang is that it is unintelligible to 
many of the people on whom it is inflicted. Children and 
women — some men — do not know the meaning of 
“bumped the pill into the right garden,” “walloped the 
rawhide,” “he certainly knows his onions.” All bewildering 
substitutes for plain, simple English. 


THE REPORTER’S USE OF WORDS 


187 


Some young people seem totally unable to refer to an 
acquaintance without the use of “guy,” “gink,” “bird,” or 
“peach.” Their fondness for extravagant adjectives is 
equally unrestrained. 

A reporter must use words rooted in common speech. At 
best, current slang is untried language. Much of it is slovenly 
and in bad repute. Its indiscriminate use cheapens speech 
and cripples the vocabulary. 

The Hackneyed Phrase. A lazy reporter, limited in his 
vocabulary, is generally addicted to the use of the hack¬ 
neyed phrase, written repeatedly to describe the ordinary 
acts of life. A bromide is an expression lacking in originality, 
words which have been so overworked that they have lost 
all their freshness and charm, if indeed they ever had these 
two qualities. These threadbare expressions rush automati¬ 
cally to the mind of many writers as soon as occasions prompt 
them. 

The accompanying list of “bromides” contains trite, exag¬ 
gerated, stilted expressions common to many newspaper 
stories. They need to be eliminated from the reporter’s 
vocabulary, and are printed here as a warning. Others may 
be added as found. 


Affixed his signature 
Along the line 
Any way, shape, or form 
Appropriate exercises 
Asleep at the switch 
Bated breath 
Beggars description 
Becoming modesty 
Bids fair 
Breathed his last 
Break-neck speed 
Breathless silence 
Burning question 
Busy marts of trade 
Canine 

Close proximity 
Conspicuous by its absence 
Cortege 


Checkered career 
Cheered to the echo 
Dan Cupid 
Dark as pitch 
Daring robbery 
Departed this life 
Delicious refreshments 
Devouring elements 
Denizens of the deep 
Divine passion 
Doomed to disappointment 
Downy couch 
Dropped in his tracks 
Edifice was consumed 
Favor with a selection 
Fair sex 
Fair Luna 
Feathered songsters 


188 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Finny tribe 
Firm, clear tones 
Floral offerings 
Foul plot 

Getting along as well as could be 
expected 

Giant pachyderm 

Good-natured crowd 

Green with envy 

Groaning table 

Heart of the business section 

Herculean efforts 

Host of friends 

In durance vile 

Infuriated animal 

Innocent bystander 

Immaculate linen 

Inclemency of the weather 

It goes without saying 

Jupiter Pluvius 

Kiddies 

Land-office business 

Large and enthusiastic audience 

Leave no stone unturned 

Like rats in a trap 

Milady 

Miraculous escape 
Murder most foul 
Musical circles 
Never in the history of 
News leaked out 
News hound 
Nipped in the bud 
Officiating clergyman 
Old Sol 
Pale as death 
Pedagogue 


Pillar of the church 
Political pot is boiling 
Popular debutante 
Rare treat 
Reached the goal 

Recipient of many beautiful pres¬ 
ents 

Rendered a few selections 
Rodent (when speaking of rat or 
mouse) 

Rosy dawn 
Rooted to the spot 
Sea of upturned faces 
Sensational failure 
Severed his connection 
Shook the dust from his feet 
Speculation is rife 
Solon (speaking of legislator) 
Supreme sacrifice 
Swathed in bandages 
Taken into custody 
Tear-dimmed eyes 
Tendered his resignation 
Tired but happy 
Tiny tots 
To the tune of 
Toothsome viands 
To the bitter end 
Trip the light fantastic 
Undercurrent of excitement 
Vale of tears 
Vast concourse 
Wee, small hours 
Wended his way homeward 
War to the knife 
Whipped out a gun 
Worked like Trojans 


CHAPTER XII 


THE HIGH SCHOOL EDITORIAL PAGE 

The Meeting Place. “Why are you in such a hurry?” 
asked a friend as he encountered a neighbor rushing down 
the street. 

“Oh, my wife’s out of town,” came the prompt answer. 
“So I’m going down to the drug store to get a New England 
boiled dinner.” 

If the modern pharmacy has changed in the variety of 
goods it offers customers, what shall we say of the enlarged 
service of the modern editorial page? 

Once the reader encountered only a scant column or two 
in which the editor “pointed with pride” or “viewed with 
alarm.” The editorials were often verbal fodder, lacking 
in pith and vitality and based on subjects so abstract as to 
discourage extended reading. The editorial page was known 
as the heaviest stuff in the newspaper. Many subscribers 
gave it a fleeting glance and passed on to more attractive 
offerings. 

But today the well-conducted editorial page has come into 
its own. In a peculiar sense it offers itself as a meeting 
place for the paper’s family of readers where they may not 
only hear other persons talk, but are given a chance to 
participate in the discussion. Here the personal note, 
drowned out in other parts of the paper, sounds strong and 
clear. Members of the editorial board have their say; 
the cartoonist pictorializes his opinion in apt caricature; 
various well-known column conductors print their reflections 
and observations, assisted by their contributors. Verse, 
short stories, expository essays, paragraphs, letters, reviews, 
feature yarns, advice and counsel here array themselves in 

189 


190 


THE HIGH SCHOOL EDITORIAL PAGE 



A Good Editorial Page 

Here is a well-planned editorial page made interesting even without 
the use of pictures. Note the panel heads. 


pleasing contrast upon the literary stage and ask permission 
to entertain and instruct the audience. 

Surely most of the dishes displayed on pages 190 and 
191 will please the fancy of everybody, whether serious or 
casual readers. You will find editorials, feature stories, lit¬ 
erary sketches, reviews, verse, and other interesting tidbits, 
involving a variety of interests and staff talents. Note in- 



























































WRITING FOR PRINT 


191 



A Diversified Editorial Menu 


signia of membership in scholastic press associations under 
the masthead. 

Adopting a Platform. The serious underlying purpose of 
the editor’s page, however, remains the same, despite the 
addition of articles cast in a lighter vein. Sometimes the 

















































































192 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


editor and his staff may shape their policies into a platform, 
presented under the masthead of the paper. Such announce¬ 
ment helps to bring consistency and definiteness to the con¬ 
duct of the editorial page and likewise shows readers that the 
paper has constructive ideas and convictions. 

The editorial staff of the high school paper needs to de¬ 
fine its aims in the fashion indicated before it sets out on 
its work for the year. Here is a worth-while platform built 
by the Spotlight of Central High School, Fort Wayne, In¬ 
diana : 

EDITORIAL POLICY 

1. To foster real school spirit. 

2. To influence student thought and opinion. 

3. To encourage and support clean sportsmanship in all things. 

4. To encourage worthy activities. 

5. To promote good scholarship. 

6. To give honor where honor is due. 

7. To serve as a medium of expression for the student body and 

faculty. 

8. To uphold , promote, and carry out the honored traditions of 

Central High School. 

What Is an Editorial? We have seen that it is the busi¬ 
ness of the reporter to gather and write news. He does not 
comment upon it, but is expected only to present the facts, 
uncolored by his own convictions. Indeed, he is likely to 
acquire such an attitude of strict neutrality that matters of 
honesty and ethics are entirely neglected. His point of view 
is objective. Like the generality of people, he accepts con¬ 
ditions as they are, without inquiring whether they are right 
or wrong. 

For example, a reporter may discover that only fifty per 
cent of the students who enter high school as freshmen re¬ 
main to receive their diplomas. The editorial writer, on the 
other hand, is not only interested in this fact as news, but 
he is anxious to find a cause for it and to suggest a remedy. 
Investigation shows that many boys and girls quit school to 


THE HIGH SCHOOL EDITORIAL PAGE 193 

make money; others become discouraged because they make 
so little progress in their studies and drop out; a few are 
rebellious and refuse to apply themselves to their books, 
bringing dismissal. The editorial writer is then ready to 
submit his conclusion, “ Education is necessary to advance¬ 
ment in a profession or in life. Make the most of school 
opportunities. Don’t give up your high school course until 
you have sought the advice of a man of experience.” 

The Invitation to Think. To think is the editorial func¬ 
tion. It is not an easy task. It is so much easier to be an 
indifferent spectator in the game of life; so much easier to 
accept other people’s opinions, and to echo them. Refusal 
to think means mental stagnation; it is the foe to progress 
and growth. 

The making of an editorial, designed to encourage readers 
to think, to express themselves, and finally to act, is laden with 
responsibility. It should not be undertaken lightly. 

Calamity follows when youthful scribes allow prejudice 
and chance gossip to warp their opinions. Oftentimes writers 
set out to discuss subjects they but vaguely understand, or 
permit a gust of anger at a fancied wrong to swing them into 
ill-tempered and illogical charges. Careful, painstaking in¬ 
vestigation of all the facts should precede the writing of an 
editorial. Many an editorial writer makes himself a laughing¬ 
stock, or brings a hornet’s nest about his head by rushing 
into print with unwarranted conclusions. 

Paragraphs. In a little booklet called “The Editorial 
Paragraph” by John M. Henry of the Council Bluffs, Iowa, 
Nonpareil are set down some simple rules for writing the 
paragraph, the smallest unit in the editorial classification. 
He writes: 

1. Be brief. Do not exceed half a dozen lines. 

2. State preliminary facts in such a way as to lead the reader to 
believe you are about to make a certain kind of statement — which 
you are not. (Paragraph is spoiled if you Tip your hand’ in this 
respect.) 


194 WRITING FOR PRINT 

3. Write a final sentence or sentences making the unexpected 
comment. 

4. Never — oh, never — entirely reveal your point. Make the 
reader think just a bit to get it. (The paragraph in which the 
point is entirely revealed is as much of a fizzle as the joke in which 
the point is explained.) 

5. Keep the point word to the very last, if possible. 

Here is an example of such a paragraph: 

Classes in sleeping have been instituted in the 
University of Texas. Somebody wake up the 
faculty. The classes have been doing it for years. 

Elements of an Editorial. A forceful editorial must have 
four distinct elements: (1) timeliness, (2) compactness, (3) 
clearness, (4) persuasiveness. It must not only be read, but 
believed. It must carry conviction in vigorous, positive terms. 

In the ordinary editorial the first paragraph is concerned 
with a news statement on which the editorial may be hinged. 
It explains the circumstances of the case. In the second 
paragraph the editorial writer takes a hand and gives his 
views or analysis of the subject. Note the blending of 
these qualities in this straight-from-the-shoulder admoni¬ 
tion, based on a news happening: 


A POOR WAY TO SHOW SCHOOL 
LOYALTY 

The arrest last Saturday night of a gang of 
West High students, bent on celebrating the 
football victory over North High by dashing 
madly around town in a screeching automobile, 
is universally regretted because it puts the 
school in such an unfavorable light before the 
public. 


1. Editorial point of view 
clearly indicated in this pithy 
headline. 


2. News peg on which the 
writer's conviction hangs. 
Similar to the lead in the 
news story. 


High school students are not privileged to do 
as they please. They must obey the laws as well 
as other citizens of the community. To speed 
through traffic lights and to smash into other 
cars, to hurl impudent remarks at policemen, 
and to fill the midnight air with discordant 
“barber-shop” chords, does not show any real 
school spirit. Such senseless performances are 
marks of the hoodlum, a person who has no re¬ 
spect for the rights of others. 


3. Presentation of editorial 
conclusions based on the in¬ 
cident cited. 







THE HIGH SCHOOL EDITORIAL PAGE 


195 


A better way to show loyalty to the best ideals 
of the school is to exhibit the traits of a gentle¬ 
man at all times. 


4 . How the incident may he 
used as a text to clinch an 
editorial judgment. 


We are sorry our classmates made themselves 
such a nuisance that the police had to interfere. 
Their collision with the law should serve as 
warning to other students at West High who 
may have queer ideas about personal conduct. 


We are proud of the fair name of West High, 
and we think no boy or girl possesses the right to 
soil our colors by some unworthy act. The 
School always suffers more than the individual. 


5 . General conclusions, with 
a snapper at the end. Note 
force of short sentence. 


Choosing a Subject. Every young editorial writer may 
naturally ask the question: “Where shall I get the idea for 
an editorial?” Three or four answers may be made to this 
inquiry, each depending upon the writer’s temperament and 
outlook. 

The Local Application. A good pair of eyes and ears, 
combined with an alert brain, will uncover many editorial 
suggestions in things close at hand. Local conditions and 
local settings awaken the reader’s native curiosity, since 
these matters are easily recognized as belonging to his 
immediate range of interests. 

At Wichita, Kansas, football games attract great crowds 
and stir up much enthusiasm. An editorial writer, however, 
noticed that the cheer leaders lacked uniformity in dress 
and action, so that the yelling became somewhat disor¬ 
ganized. He wrote an article suggesting a remedy, and it 
was published in the Messenger, the school newspaper. 


LET’S DRESS ’EM ALIKE! 

Organized yelling is important to a school. Yell leaders have 
positions of responsibility. It takes personality and no small 
amount of talent to get the most out of a bunch of rooters. 

Our yell leaders are good ones, but the effectiveness of their 
efforts would be increased by more uniformity in dress and actions. 
Every movement of the leader should have a meaning to the 
rooters. The same motions should always be used in each yell. 
An orchestra director does not vary his signals when leading his 
musicians. He does not improvise or use meaningless motions. 




196 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


The student council discussed uniforms for the yell leaders but 
has evidently not taken definite action on the matter yet. A 
costume with blue and white predominating and W’s in evidence 
would be appropriate. But some sort of uniform would add to 
the yell leaders’ power by giving them the appearance of the 
official, organized group they are. 

Two or three girl yell leaders also in uniform would help in ex¬ 
tracting a larger “ Oski Wow Wow” from the student body. Mascu¬ 
line tones do not predominate in the yells, and some girls make 
as good cheer leaders as boys. We should not be wasteful of talent. 

W. H. S. has never had such good yelling as it should for the 
size and spirit of the school. Leaders, boys and girls, in blue and 
white uniforms, using motions exactly alike and in time, who would 
stay on the job every available minute, could bring forth some yells 
of real volume and power. 

The News Peg. Thoughtful reading of magazines, periodi¬ 
cals, books, particularly newspapers, suggests many pegs on 
which to hang editorials. An editor is indeed stupid who 
does not welcome the gift of seed corn from a friendly 
hand. These suggestions, based on the news of the day as 
printed in the home-town paper, the school journal, or the 
exchanges, lend themselves to a variety of treatment. His¬ 
tory, biography, personal achievements, science, literature, 
significant events, campus episodes come within the circle 
of the editorial spotlight. 

To the news announcement (with which the editorial 
generally opens), the writer must add interpretation and 
comment as in the first editorial quoted in this chapter. 

One of the supreme tests of an editorial writer is to see 
how well he handles a stereotyped subject, such as the open¬ 
ing of school, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the coming of spring, 
topics in themselves conventional. Here is an editorial 
which has freshness and buoyancy: 

“JACK” REIGNS AGAIN 

A few weeks ago that happy imp called Jack Frost sent us a 
gentle message to remind us that he would soon make his annual 
pilgrimage to our country heralding his sire, Old Man Winter. 


THE HIGH SCHOOL EDITORIAL PAGE 197 

His message was rather informal as Jack is a sprightly chap 
not at all given to formalities. It consisted mainly of a few brown 
and red leaves spotting the green trees here and there. But my, 
what a commotion it made! Straw hats and white coats went 
out overnight to be replaced by felt hats and fall furs. Far-visioned 
birds started on their long trek to exotic Southlands. Coal men 
rubbed their hands gleefully, regaining a sparkle of eye and vivacity 
of step. 

Jack is not a bad sort of fellow. The bright colors that he paints, 
pep us up in preparation for the dull winter. He is king of autumn 
and is now holding court. We, are his true and loyal subjects. 
His merry paint pots are spilled over the foliage. There they will 
remain, filling us with the happiness, the courage, and the sparkling 
gaiety that we will need from the time the first breath of winter 
whips these fiery leaves away until gentle spring awakens our blood 
once more. 

Then hie for the nut brown hills and the now glamorous forests. 
For these coats of Joseph that the trees now wear will soon be 
buried beneath frozen wastes. And who is so dull that he does 
not feel his stagnant veins quicken at the sight of merry Jack’s 
pranks? 

— Polaris Weekly, North High School, Minneapolis 

The Constructive Type. Correction, criticism, and ad¬ 
monition also serve to shape editorials designed to accom¬ 
plish specific ends. Editorials of this sort written for the 
school paper may make concrete recommendations. Such 
timely topics as the need of fire drill in the schools, the 
expulsion of students who bet on games, the curbing of ex¬ 
travagance in graduation gowns, earn their right to be 
openly discussed. Such pertinent editorials render helpful 
service, provided they lay firm emphasis on helpful sugges¬ 
tion and do not deal in personal abuse. Cross-grained fault¬ 
finding is of little value. To point out an abuse and to offer 
a remedy is one of the highest functions of the editorial. 
Note this specimen: 

JOIN AN ACTIVITY 

Have you' ever stopped to think how much a person misses who 
goes through school without having entered into some outside 
activity? Of course you know what activities are; for at least 


198 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


two weeks you’ve been hearing of them through the circulars and 
other means. But have you considered joining any of these? 
No matter what you’re interested in, there’s an activity in Central 
to develop that interest. There are clubs in nearly every depart¬ 
ment in school; language, mathematics, science, dramatic, literary, 
music, art, and many others. 

Through these activities students are enabled to become better 
acquainted with their classmates. The atmosphere of the class¬ 
room seems less stiff and formal, and studies become more inter¬ 
esting. 

Altogether, the reasons for joining activities are strong ones, 
so, if you have not already applied for membership in one or more, 
do so at once, before it’s too late. You know, too, there’s credit 
given with these memberships, — and that’s something to think 

about. —Weekly Register , Central High School, Omaha 

The Informal Essay. The genial philosopher may also 
make valuable contribution to the editorial column. A 
playful fancy is always welcome, even though the subject 
matter lacks importance. Read this nicely phrased essay: 

THE NEW CAR 

The new car is often a Christmas present and the family goes 
down to select it the day before Christmas; that is, all but the 
eight-year-old twins who still believe in Santa Claus. 

Having a car and selecting one are two different things. Father 
wants the largest, mother wants a medium-sized one in a dark 
color (“it would be more practical,” she says), and the oldest two 
children want a “snappy” yellow sports model. Well, they get a 
dark blue, medium-sized car. Yes, perhaps it is best — but — 

Who drives it first? Father drives it home on Christmas eve, 
after the twins are asleep, and exclaims with the family when he 
finds it in front of the house the next morning with the inscription, 
“To the — family, from Santa Claus,” tagged on it. 

Christmas dinner is hurried so that the new car can be tried out 
in the afternoon. The older two, Ted and Jane, want to go — yes 
— but it looks so childish to go riding in the new car with all of 
the family. They want to go alone. Mother says they never 
appreciate anything and do not deserve a ride, but they go along 
just the same. The twins have to be separated, for they do fight 
so. Billy sits in front with father and Ted, while Betty is put 
between mother and Jane in the back seat. 


THE HIGH SCHOOL EDITORIAL PAGE 199 

Father and mother wanted to drive in the residential district, 
Betty and Billy want to drive downtown where they can see 
Santa Claus and his toys in the shop windows. Jane and Ted are 
sulky they do not care. Mother tells father to drive downtown 
to satisfy the twins, and then father lets Ted drive. He drives 
out by the lake, where he might see some of his friends skating — 
he is driving the new car now — but alas! he is constantly reminded 
by his mother to “slow down now, Ted, just this morning I read 
where a car turned over two times and injured five persons very 
seriously, only because of reckless driving. ” 

Ted can have the car once a week, as can Jane. They both 
want it on Saturday night, but Jane wins out and Ted gets it on 
Friday nights. As the car grows older, the two have it more often; 
father and mother and the twins, much less. 

By the next Christmas it is proclaimed a “total wreck ” by the 
older two children, and father is talking about a wonderful improve¬ 
ment on something or other on the new 1930 model, and the twins, 
having heard that there is no Santa Claus, begged father to buy 
one too. Although mother thinks the old one will do another year 
or so, she is unable to convince the rest, and there is a new car next 
Christmas. 

— Lever , Colorado Springs High School 


Editorial Spokesmen. Sir Roger de Coverley probably 
never lived in the flesh, but he succeeded in making him¬ 
self a live personage in the Spectator papers written by Addi¬ 
son and Steele. Adopting him as their spokesman, the 
authors commented gayly on the fads and follies of old- 
time London. 

Writers on high school papers may find it equally advisable 
to create mythical figures, each given a name and a charac¬ 
teristic twist of vocabulary, through whom many of their 
own opinions may be projected into the minds of readers. 
A fanciful picture of our editorial philosopher may be 
printed alongside his whimsical sayings — so that he soon 
develops considerable vogue in school and home. 

Two examples, both found in the Hottoman, of the Senior 
High School of Holton, Kansas, are reprinted herewith to 
show how the idea works out in practice: 


200 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Doctor 

Dingbatz 

Discusses 

Gabbelaria 


Gabbelaria is a very contagious disease, 
dreaded especially by the study-hall teachers. 
The sufferers are mostly sophomores, but the 
malady is spreading rapidly to the juniors and 
seniors. It is not necessarily fatal 
to the victim, but is known to 
cause much irritation among those 
who are immune. 

A typical attack of gabbelaria is 
characterized by three well-defined 
stages. In the first or cold stage, 
the victim is mildly indifferent to 
those about him. In the second or 
hot stage, his lips and tongue begin 
to twitch. In the third or sweating stage, he 
may become quite violent. His lips and tongue 
continue to twitch, although more rapidly, and 
he mutters incorrigibly. His face takes on a 
peculiar bluish tinge. The sweating stage is by 
far the most dangerous. 

There is no positive cure, but strict discipline 
on the part of the teacher and rigid observance 
of study-hall rules by the pupil will help prevent 
I the disease. 



I’M THE BOOB 

I’m the boob who doesn’t care about the park¬ 
ing rules of the school. Why should I worry if 
my car isn’t in the proper place? You don’t 
think I’m going to walk a half a mile to school 
after I drive my car, do you? That long-legged 
principal can go to and stay put, but he won t 
tell me where to park my car. This is a free 
world, and if I wanted to I’d park my car in the 
school building where it would be out of the sun 
and rain. Why? Well, ’cause I’m the boob of 
I all boobs, that’s me, and nobody else. 


Making Humorous Columns. Eugene Field, the poet 
laureate of childhood, was one of the first successful conduc¬ 
tors of that bandwagon of mirth and whimsical comment 
known as the “newspaper column.” Most of his famous 
poems first appeared in “Sharps and Flats” in the Chicago 











THE HIGH SCHOOL EDITORIAL PAGE 201 

Daily News, so that his approach to fame was along the 
path of newspaper print. 

But Eugene Field was very much like a one-man orchestra. 
He did all the work himself — a task which requires talents 
of high order. Not only was he a poet, but he was also a 
nimble paragrapher, an artist in satire and burlesque, and 
a commentator on good literature. Probably the column he 
produced has never been excelled in America. His person¬ 
ality “made” it. 

When S. E. Kiser, well-known humorist, was asked to 
define the purpose of the “colyumn” as a part of the daily 
menu of newspapers, he did so in the following words: 

The “ colyumnist,” as I appraise him, must have a sense of humor, 
and be able to express it; he must do some thinking, even if it 
hurts or requires effort; he must have a desire to assist in making 
the world fit to live in; he must know where reason ends and 
prejudice begins; he must be a poet, a wit, a philosopher, a critic; 
he must be visionary and practical, and he becomes a bore as soon 
as he makes a habit of taking himself seriously. 

Rather a large order, that, for any high school student who 
aspires to be a column conductor and di play his wares on 
the editorial shelves. If he undertook his task unassisted, 
he would speedily find himself “written out,” for no student 
can be consistently funny and different throughout the 
school year. It is the business of the department chief, 
however, to whip other intellects into activity, so that the 
column he conducts becomes a melange of clever quips, 
epigrams, poems, and what-not furnished by a large com¬ 
pany of readers. Unless the column conductor does develop 
this team play his handiwork will probably fail to keep 
interest alive. A letter box, conveniently located, should 
offer haven for contributions intended for print. 

Jests barbed with smart personal references often wound 
and humiliate their innocent victims,- especially girls. Let 
the column conductor use proper restraint and good taste 


202 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


in compiling his column. Clean humor, without a sting, 
is relished by everybody. 

The following examples of column contributions are 
clipped from “Between You’n Me,” an anthology of poetry 
and humor clipped from the Lake reView, the newspaper 
of Lake View High School, Chicago. The booklet represents 
the best paragraphs and verses published in the paper over 
a period of five years. 

THOUGHT 

The stars are silver half-songs, 

Sung throughout the day, 

That climbed the dusk-dimmed star-light 
And settled down to stay. 

But when the songs are fading 
(For ever songs grow old) 

The dawn sweeps all the stars up 
With a broom of gold. 

— Harriet Ball 


SO? 

The roof it has a lazy time 
A-lyin’ in the sun. 

The walls they have to hold it up 
They do not have much fun. 

— Nony Mus 

CAVALIER A RUSTYCANNA 

Blessings on thee, little man, 

In thy trusty, rusty can! 

Proud to own that trembling wreck — 

A car that’s rattling good, by heck! 

You will leave us in a trice 
Shaking like a pair of dice. 

Beat the lights and pass each truck 
Race the train to try your luck. 

Find out what that can can do; — 

He’s loose at last! Poor lad, Adieu! 

Now you’ve joined the restless horde, 

Knights errant of the running board. 

One of all the crowds that creep 
On the crowded roads like sheep 
Dropping from the skies like manna, 

Cavaliera Rustycanna. 

A. B. G. 


THE HIGH SCHOOL EDITORIAL PAGE 203 

Two English teachers were in an auto smash-up. Corpses, glass 
and other incumbrances flew around for a while. One of the teachers' 
fatally wounded, faintly gasped. 

“It's no use, Pm done for.” 

“Heavens,” shrieked her friend, from the other side, “don’t 
end your sentence with a preposition!” 

“Boy, tell me the truth,” thundered King Arthur. “What 
made all these nicks in my broadsword?” 

Sire, replied the tremulous page, “I should not squeal on a 
woman, but the queen’s been sharpening pencils.” 

As our teachers would say, “I laffed, till I thought I’d split an 
infinitive.” 

Letters to the Editor. While office-made editorials are 
upbuilding and helpful, the editor of the school paper should 
not forget that readers may have equally valuable opinions. 
He should encourage expression of them by establishing a 
letter-box department, where these opinions may be printed. 
Anonymous letters, assailing somebody, deserve the waste¬ 
basket. If the editor has a friend who is keenly interested 
in a certain matter, he should ask him to write a communi¬ 
cation for the readers’ column. Staff members should also 
assist in keeping the pot boiling. 

Waging a Campaign. The writing of editorials is not the 
sole function of the scribe who voices the paper’s opinions. 
He will also be called upon, from time to time, to promote 
and encourage school enterprises. The easiest method is to 
publish enthusiastic editorials, but unluckily these do not 
alway bring about the desired result. 

Most readers need more light, not more heat. Once the 
information is within their grasp, they will act upon that 
information. The editorial writer, therefore, is first called 
upon to wage a campaign of education through the printing 
of the facts. This means the active cooperation of the re¬ 
porters in writing constructive stories that lead naturally 
to the making of readers’ opinions. 

If the editor believes, for instance, that his school needs 


204 


WRITING FOR PRINT 

a trophy room, he should first seek to develop an interest 
in such a project by printing all the information he can 
about trophy rooms in other schools, with probable cost, 
indicating the uses to which the trophy room may be put. 
Interviews from students, alumni, and instructors may well 
serve to develop interest and to prepare the ground for the 
dropping of that seed of suggestion later on which will grow 
into concrete plans to secure a trophy room. 

After all the facts have been presented in a variety of 
ways, the editorial writer is ready to apply them. He may 
then urge and argue with effectiveness. He may seek the 
prominent position of the first page to present his views; he 
may offer a series of articles presenting the reasons that 
make a trophy room desirable. Such a campaign requires 
ingenuity, perseverance, patience, a willingness to remain 
in the background while other hands do the work. Indeed, 
the best campaign is that which enlists the service of other 
people, caught in the sweep of the editor’s enthusiasm, and 
convinced that something should be done. 


Suggestions For Editorials 


Wasting Time 

Mother Goose Up-to-da 

Discipline 

Applied Geography- 

Doing a Good Turn 

Fathers and Mothers 

Hobbies 

The Books We Read 
Vacations 
Cultivate Thrift 
A Poet’s Birthday- 
Know Your City 
“Stick!” 

An Honor Student 
The Alibi Club 
The Death of a Dog 
Swear Not! 

An Up-to-Date Fable 
Chalk Dust 
A School Memorial 


Fireside Patriotism 
Movie Reform Needed 
The Americanization of Playgrounds 
The Misuse of Holidays 
Championship Prospects 
The Movie as a Teacher 
A Model Dress for School Wear 
A School Benefactor 

Needed — School Improvements (a series) 
A Memorial to Our Soldier Dead 
“A Sunday School Boy” 

The First Christmas 
We Salute the Janitor 
The Need of Fire Drills 
Playing the Game Square 
“We See By the Papers” 

Cheating and Cheaters 
Reading With a Purpose 
A Banquet for Fathers and Sons 
Abolishing Final Exams 


THE HIGH SCHOOL EDITORIAL PAGE 


Wasting Time 
Two Weeks Till — 
Plant a Tree 
Gridiron Wrangling 
Ivy for Remembrance 
Abusing Books 
Our Weekly Quiz 
Graduation Dresses 
A Word a Day 
Arm-chair Travels 
Fireside Patriots 
Soft Snaps 
Respect for the Law 
The Hurry Element 
A Reformed Hallowe’en 
Gridiron Manners 
Read Biography 


Abolishing High School Fraternities 
Wanted — A School Bank 
Courtesy in the Classroom 
Wanted — A Trophy Room 
Respecting the Flag 
Catch the Cloakroom Thieves 
Hoodlums in the Gallery 
Seeing Yourself in Print 
How to Treat a Chaperon 
Cultivating Traditions 
Be Yourself 

Littering the School Yard 
Everyday Science (a series) 
Community Night for Parents 
Suppress the “School Kidder” 
Other People’s Faults 
The Seniors’ Future 


205 


CHAPTER XIII 

FACTS ABOUT TYPE AND PRINTING 1 

Instruction in Printing. Owners of printing establish¬ 
ments in England send their sons to the London School of 
Printing for proper training, so that they can continue to 
conduct the business with some degree of success when the 
fathers are ready to retire. In that school instruction is 
given in various branches of the printing industry in the 
mechanical operations as well as in approved methods of 
business management. The object of such all-round train¬ 
ing is apparent. Thorough knowledge of technical operations 
in any business fits one better to supervise the conduct of it. 

In the United States, institutions of learning similar to 
the London School of Printing are conducted with equal 
success. Carnegie Institute of Technology, and some of the 
colleges and universities, prepare young people in the way 
indicated. 

Public schools in this country are perhaps the greatest 
factor in giving the first real opportunity to become ac¬ 
quainted with the printing subject by offering courses in 
typography. 

Typography is an art study. It deals with balance, pro¬ 
portion, shape, harmony, a study of type faces, borders, 
ornamentation, and proper arrangement of them upon the 
printed page — knowledge helpful not only to every one 
planning to go into advertising, journalism, the printing 
business but also to every professional man. 

Type as a Common Medium. Practically all of us use 

1 The material for this chapter was furnished by F. C. Lampe, manager 
of the department of educational research, Barnhart Brothers and Spindler, 
Chicago; and Paul Sandegren, Managing Editor of the Daily Northwestern, 
a journeyman printer. 


206 



TYPE AND PRINTING 


207 


type in some form. No business today can be successfully 
conducted without advertising. The laying out of adver¬ 
tisements for magazines or newspapers, direct-by-mail ad¬ 
vertising, and many other methods designed to inform the 
public what the manufacturer or the merchant has to offer 
requires careful thought, preparation, and familiarity with 
type values. The ability to write appealing copy is essential, 
but no more important than to be able to choose the right 
type to carry the message to prospective customers. A good 
course in typography should be found in the course of study 
of every school. 

Type at Work. To produce a good-looking school paper, 
it is essential that the student editor understand a few of 
the basic principles of typesetting — type measurements, 
type faces, and still more important, cooperation with the 
printer. 

Type measurements are based on the “point” system. 
Remembering that there are 72 points to an inch, one may 
easily deduce the various type sizes. For all practical 
purposes, we may say six-point type is the smallest face used 
in newspapers. The large daily papers of the country gener¬ 
ally set the body matter of their stories in seven or eight- 
point, using ten or twelve-point solely for purposes of display. 
Six-point type is one-twelfth of an inch high, twelve-point 
is one-sixth. 

For the school paper the ten-point is more frequently 
used for text than any other, -mainly because that size type 
is more convenient for beginners to handle. 

Founders manufacture type for many purposes — some 
useful for printing books, others for advertising, as well as 
for the various jobs demanded by business. The main thing 
to consider when choosing type for text matter (usually 
termed “body” type) is to select a face legible and open 
enough to give a clear print. The Caslon Oldstyle, designed 
more than two centuries ago, holds a record of service in the 
enlightenment of mankind perhaps unequaled by any other 


208 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


letter design ever created, and is still the world’s standard 
of Oldstyle Roman. It may be used advantageously in 
most printing jobs. The Roman faces are good. For the 
school paper the Authors Roman Wide is excellent. There 
are many others that will appeal. Individual tastes 
differ — what one printer likes may not be chosen by 
another. 

Kinds of Type. So many different sizes of heads are used 
for newspapers that it is difficult to generalize. Headlines 
are usually set in boldface, and they ordinarily range in 
size from twelve-point to thirty-six and forty-eight-point 
type. It is not advisable for a high school editor to use heads 
larger than thirty-six point, except for streamers across the 
top of the page, since they only serve to give the page a 
heavy appearance unless handled with the greatest pro¬ 
fessional care. Moreover, large-type heads are extremely 
difficult to write well. 

Type for headlines should be selected to correspond in 
tone value with the text type. Avoid too much contrast. 
A very black heading does not harmonize with a light¬ 
faced text type. 

For newspaper captions the condensed faces are in more 
general demand, allowing a greater number of letters to 
the line. There is a large assortment from which to choose. 
The Adstyle, Caslon Black, Roman Bold, Modern Roman 
Extra Condensed, the Bold and the Medium of the same 
series, the Authors Roman, the Gothic faces, and a num¬ 
ber of light and heavy italic faces, are mentioned as sugges¬ 
tions worth consideration. 

There is no need to remember such terms as “ nonpareil,” 
“brevier,” and “small pica” when designating type sizes. 
Such names have become more or less obsolete during recent 
years. It is well to remember “agate” as the term for 
five and one-half point, and “minion” for seven point, 
however, since these terms are still extensively used in 
newspaper offices. Want ads are set in agate on many 


209 


TYPE AND PRINTING 

GOTHIC NO. 14,42 PT. 

Bodoni Bold Lower 

Set in 36 pt. 

Bodoni Bold Italic , 18 Pt. 

CHELTENHAM BOLD 

Set in 24 pt. 

CHELTENHAM Condensed, 24 PT. 

CLOISTER BOLD 
Cloister Bold Lower 

Set in 30 pt. 


Garamond Italic, 3 0 Pt. 

IONIC CONDENSED, 30 PT. 

Antique No. 1 Italic, 18 Point 

Cheltenham, 12 Point 
Century Bold, 10 Point 

This is a specimen of the popular 
newspaper body type-face, 7 POINT 
IONIC No. 5, the type that is kind to 
the eyes. Its scientific design makes it 

— Courtesy Mergenthaler Linotype Company 


Contrasting Styles of Type Faces 


210 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


papers, following the style of the Chicago Tribune. The 
body type of the Chicago Herald-Examiner is set in minion. 

Some Printers’ Terms. The word “em” technically 
means the square of the depth of the body of the type: 
viz., an eight-point em is eight points wide; a ten-point 
em is ten points wide. An “en” is exactly one-half the size 
of an em in any size type. 

As a general rule, however, printers have adopted the 
expression "em” as a shorter way of saying “pica,” which is 
twelve points or one-sixth of an inch. If you ask a printer 
to set copy twelve ems wide, he will set it twelve picas. 
Compositors never misconstrue instructions because of the 
two meanings for em, so if he is asked to set copy twelve or 
twelve and one-half ems wide, it is the same as asking for it 
twelve or twelve and one-half picas. 

The usual column width used by most newspapers is 
twelve, twelve and one-half, or thirteen picas. When figur¬ 
ing widths of two or more columns, one should not forget 
to add the width of the column rule, which is six points, 
or half a pica. 

Type faces set on solid slugs sometimes give the appearance 
of being crowded. If the body of the type is seven point, it 
is well to select an eight-point slug; if it is eight point, the 
slug should be nine. This allows a little light between lines. 
Care should be taken not to set the type on too large a 
slug, though, since seven point on nine and eight point on 
ten leave almost too much white space between lines. 

So many different type faces have been introduced during 
the last twenty-five years that it is impossible to describe 
them all. Some of those most generally used are Bodoni, 
Century Expanded, Goudy Oldstyle, Cloister Oldstyle, Chel¬ 
tenham, Garamond, Bookman, and Ionic. Your printer can 
prepare a style sheet for you giving the names of the various 
type faces he has in his shop. 

A few abbreviations which any copy reader should know 


are: 


TYPE AND PRINTING 


211 


bf caps, boldface caps 

bf c & Ic, boldface caps and lower case 

all bf, all boldface 

ital, italics 

all ital, all italics 

These instructions to printers are used a great deal where 
there is no set style on various type faces permissible, and by 
learning them one saves much time and effort. 

Working with the Printer. Cooperation with the printer 
is a big factor in bringing efficiency to the paper. Work 
should be systematized. Each story sent to the compositor 
should be identified by a “slug line,” at least giving enough 
information so the story may be found in the galleys when 
ready to make up. It is best to adopt the “head-number” 
system. The printer sets up all the different heads the paper 
may want to use, and these are numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. 
One specimen of the schedule agreed upon is left with him, 
and the editor keeps one himself. When the heads are 
written, the stories and heads go to the printer on separate 
sheets of paper. The story should be identified with the 
number of the head and the first line of the head. For 
instance, suppose you had a No. 1 head, reading: 


LINCOLN SWAMPS 
ENGLEWOOD 18-0 
IN EXCITING TILT 

Then the head is marked “#1,” and at the top of the story 
goes the guide line, “#1 — Lincoln Swamps.” This simpli¬ 
fies the bank-boy’s job, expedites printing, and cuts down 
chances for inaccuracy. Another important fact which the 
student editor should remember is to meet all deadlines. 




212 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


He will find that the printer will do a better job if he cooper¬ 
ates. Besides, if the student ever works for a large paper, 
he will find that absolutely no copy is acceptable after the 
minute it is due. 

The Linotype Machine. The linotype machine may be 
described as a machine which automatically assembles the 
line of matrices (individual letter molds), casts a solid 
line of type, and distributes the matrices in their proper 
channels for use all over again. The operator presses a key 
much the same as on a typewriter, a matrix is released from 
a “magazine,’’ and drops into the assembler. After a line is 
full, the operator raises the line to a carriage, which auto¬ 
matically carries it to the “elevator.” The elevator drops 
into position in front of the “mold disk,” which is connected 
with the melting pot. When the line is in position, and the 
“space bands” (wedge-shaped devices), have adjusted the 
space between words evenly and forced the words on each 
end of the line flush with the end, the metal plunger is re¬ 
leased and forces a molten composition of lead, tin, and 
antimony into the form in the disk, and the molds on the 
matrices form the shapes of the letters. The operation is a 
complicated one, and it is almost necessary to study the 
actual machine to get any idea at all of how it works. After 
the line of type is cast and delivered on to an attached 
“stick” (a sort of small galley), the matrices are picked 
up by a second elevator, which carries them to the distrib¬ 
utor bar, where they are carried along until the tooth com¬ 
bination which holds them to the bar corresponds to the 
combination on the bar, and they drop into their respective 
channels for use time after time. After the type has served 
its purpose,] it may be re-melted for future use. 

The Newspaper Press. When one plans a school paper, 
the first thought should be size and shape. The printing 
press that is available will have to determine that. If there 
is a cylinder press, no difficulty will be encountered. It may 
be a five-, six-, seven- or eight-column paper. But where 



TYPE AND PRINTING 213 

there is only a platen press (12x18, 10x15, or an 8x12), the 
paper must be of a size that the press will accommodate. 
One of the important problems is laying out the dummy. 


— Courtesy Mergenthaler Linotype Company 

A Machine That Is Almost Human 

Here is where a knowledge of the printer’s point system of 
measurement is necessary. Are there to be two or three 
columns to the page, and how are the columns to be as to 
width and length? What size and kind of type should be 
used for the body and the heads? What size of paper stock 




214 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


will cut most economically? Attention must be given to illus¬ 
trations for the paper, as well as the setting of advertisements. 
All of these matters will probably be understood better if 
the student inspects the plant of his local newspaper and talks 
to the superintendent 


CHAPTER XIV 

WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 

The Lure of Advertisements. An English steward saying 
good-bye to Europe-bound American tourists had one parting 
request, “ Leave your magazines in the staterooms. I take 
them home to my wife. She likes to read the advers.” 
She is not alone; men, women, boys, and girls, from all 
walks of life, like to read the “advers,” although a few con¬ 
servative citizens will not acknowledge it. 

We naturally forget in reading our continued story, the 
curt command, “Turn to page 86.” The merits of the 
latest sports model car, the many specific uses for Hawaiian 
pineapple, the self-assurance of the newly promoted corre¬ 
spondence-school graduate, and the funny pictures and 
verses about soup or chewing gum have temporarily diverted 
our thoughts from the story and opened new paths for our 
minds. 

Now we may have bought the magazine to read that very 
story, and we certainly do not think of ourselves as prospec¬ 
tive buyers, but vivid word pictures and phrasing, apt 
historical allusions, a bit of friendly dialogue, a striking 
figure of speech, a clever parody, have lured us away and 
set our imaginations adrift. 

Writing with a Purpose. All these are literary devices 
used by the novelist, the dramatist, the poet. Their use is 
sacred to literature; their discussion is hallowed by text¬ 
books. It is surprising, almost shocking, to see the weapons 
and tools of literature used in the battle for business. The 
writer of forceful advertising employs them so adroitly that 
the untrained do not recognize their presence and think 
advertising copy “just grows.” Advertising is a studied 

215* 


216 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


literary form or technique; in fact, it is the purest form 
of purposeful writing. We may discredit this purpose, 
which is frankly to sell the advertised product or idea. 
This purpose we may also scorn because the impulse and 
need for self-expression are not its source; but we must 
acknowledge that advertising has its “classics,” which we 
instinctively recognize in the columns of our favorite 

magazines. ; 

In courses in English composition we cannot altogether 
discard advertising copy. It bulks large, not only in the 
newspapers and periodicals of the day but in the wide circu¬ 
lation of pamphlets issued by business organizations and 
travel bureaus. 

Advertising as News. Advertising has a particular in¬ 
terest because it thrills and quivers with present-day 
vitality. It tells about the very newest things in the world. 
Old things are mentioned only for invidious contrast. If 
Hannibal did not have airplanes on the road to Rome, that 
was his hard luck. The avowed, obtrusive fact that men 
write advertising to get business and not to win enshrine¬ 
ment in literature needs no apology and no defense. Ad¬ 
vertisements are written by men and women who do nothing 
else for a livelihood and find a true vocation in this practical 
form of simple, forceful composition. 

The Human Approach. Advertising is human in appeal. 
Merely a brief study of publicity literature reveals some of 
the basic principles of literary structure and appeal. Ad¬ 
vertising has a very human approach to the reader. The 
writer emphasizes the needs of home, father, mother, and 
children. This human touch makes advertising interesting. 

A description of a product, an exposition of a machine, does 
not pull. Many advertisers refuse copy having no mention 
of people. Real-estate ads must feature children playing 
in the open spaces of the new suburban addition, father 
pulling tomatoes from his hand-planted vines, mother pride¬ 
ful, picking dahlias. The readers see themselves in these 






WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 


217 


delectable surroundings, and desire for possession is im¬ 
planted in their minds and hearts. Advertising copy and 
literature have, then, one fundamental in common: Both 
must be human. They must picture how real people act 
in given situations. That’s not a bad start for any writer. 

Again, the sympathetic author and the writer of adver¬ 
tising meet on common ground. Both must keep the reader 
in mind. Their repeated test questions should be, “ Have 
I made this clear to the reader? Will he understand this 
situation?” 

Satisfying Everyday Needs. A man or a woman trained 
to write advertisements knows that the mind clicks to the 
call of the five senses, so he employs these human, almost 
primitive, instincts to arouse thought and feeling. The food 
ads appeal to the sense of taste and smell, and make us 
hungry. The furniture on the porch or living room must 
feel comfortable to a tired body, calling into play the sense 
of touch. The desire for beauty and comeliness is the most 
human of our frailties. Investigation shows that the largest 
portion of the ads appeal to our love of the beautiful, through 
our sense of sight, the most traveled and overused road to 
the mind. These ads include among others all the personal 
aids to beauty and charm, interior decoration of the home, 
and accessories of costume. The health ads bolster their 
cause with promise of beauty. Even the sense of smell 
is not overlooked. With what he considers a deft touch, 
the “ad” writer relates this most disused of our senses to 
personal well-being and happiness. 

Arousing Attention. But this knocking at the human heart 
is not the only reason for the universal appeal of the adver¬ 
tising pages. The wording and structure of a good ad are 
simple and easily understood. If this is not true, the adver¬ 
tisement will not be read, and if it is not read, it will not 
sell anything. On the sales-bringing basis, the ad writer 
rises or falls. Ads are not pondered over at first. They are 
read hastily, until one strikes home and the reader stops. 


218 WRITING FOR PRINT 

Simplicity in writing and speaking comes as a result of study 
and analysis. 

Unity is necessary. Many words and ideas confuse the 
meaning for the average person; therefore the writer must 
select his one selling point and choose with discriminating 
care specific words to make emphatic this salient feature 
of the advertised product. A good ad must have unity of 
thought. We see ads with lists of seven or eight unusual 
points; but are they read? The writer who chooses the one 
outstanding different point hits the mark. A study of fa¬ 
miliar advertising slogans strengthens this idea, and their 
constant repetition combines emphasis with unity. 

Headline and Sentences. The headline should sound a 
keynote, and this should lend a motif to the body of the 
advertising copy. This enforcement of unity prevents 
scattering the appeal. Usually the headline is a complete 
but short sentence, in form declarative, imperative, inter¬ 
rogative, or exclamatory. In classifying these different 
forms, observe that purpose, and judge their forcefulness 
for attracting attention. In its content the headline may 
give the name of the article or some specific selling point. 
A firm name, unless a very famous one, calls faintly. “An¬ 
drew Brothers — Lunch Counter” means little, but “Hot 
Waffles and Syrup at Andy’s” rings the breakfast bell. 

After the headline the writer arranges his sentences in 
the order of a sales talk. This gives coherence to his own 
ideas and leads the reader in his process of thought. The 
salesman in ad form arouses interest, creates desire, and tries 
to induce action in a few well-knit sentences. Long sentences 
with confusing phrases and clauses are not clear. Keeping 
track of connectives requires sustained mental effort. The 
thought in an advertisement must be grasped quickly and 
easily. Understanding is the watchword. 

From an ethical standpoint, too, advertising permits no 
misunderstanding; the product must be as advertised. 
Rayon cannot masquerade as silk; a rabbit cannot get 


WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 


219 


“foxy.” The vigilant Better Business Bureau, operated in 
forty-six cities, demands accurate advertising to keep business 
safe for investors and consumers. 

Effective Use of Words. All high school boys and girls 
remember the expression “winged words” in Homer’s 
Odyssey. Advertising by winged words flies to all parts of 
the civilized earth carrying its message of commerce and 
good will, for not all publicity is strictly commercial in its 
import. We may be induced to subscribe money for some 
worthy cause if a publicity agent, by the persuasive power 
of words, presents the need. 

A writer may call visions of the past to our mind in his 
effort to visualize the difference between the old ways and 
the new. Before any person can present a picture to others, 
he must first see it plainly himself, so the process is twofold. 
Visualization is a tax on the imagination and the vocabulary. 
It calls for a strict analysis of the different parts of speech. 
Verbs are most forceful because they suggest action. The 
ad writer finds the active voice the most direct. Nouns 
and adjectives are picture-making, if colorful and specific. 
If an ad seeks to tell in story form the progress of a hundred 
years, the expression, “From tallow dip to violet ray” is 
more specific and suggestive than “From 1828 to 1928.” 

Literary Craftsmanship. Readers like dramatized adver¬ 
tising copy. Responses show that it is read more than any 
other form. Dialogue is entertaining in itself and easy to 
read, because it is typographically attractive. The conver¬ 
sational method enforces the selling idea almost uncon¬ 
sciously, for the dramatization has coaxed the reader’s 
interest pleasantly along down story-book lane. But here 
again is a distinct literary form requiring peculiar skill and a 
knowledge of human nature. The talk must seem natural, 
not forced. 

Many boys and girls see no use in studying sentence struc¬ 
ture, literary devices, and diction. They are as the blind, 
because they do not see these principles at work in any 


220 


WRITING FOR PRINT 



■ pwe 
ctePe 
WOrr-iiK 
$$VAf<*V 
I/O 


t «ii 

!; seo-rr &>CQ 

Wt 


Figure I 

Showing the first rough draft of the advertisement. 























WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 


221 



FINE 

CREPE 

MUFFLER 


SQUARES 


MONROE WABASH 


The Men’s store 

Carson Pirie Scott & Co 


7 


Figure II 

Showing the blocked-in dummy for the advertisement. 













































222 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


practical form. In this familiar field of publicity it can easily 
be demonstrated that the writer of fruitful advertising copy 
employs the recognized rules and arts of literary craftsman¬ 
ship. He feels keenly the obligation of the writer to the 
reader, and for this unknown reader’s sake tries to present 
his thought clearly, forcefully, and entertainingly. 

Preparing an Advertisement. To follow the evolution 
of an advertisement from the moment of its inception, 
through the making of the first rough sketch, completion 
of the typographical layout, and finally the finished product 
in print, is a profitable study to any one interested in the 
processes of a great creative art. That study should be 
doubly valuable to a high school student who will be ex¬ 
pected to present a layout and suggestions for an advertise¬ 
ment when calling upon a merchant. Youthful aptitudes 
applied to such a practical objective as writing sales copy 
may later lead a boy or girl toward advertising as a life 
work. On any count, preparation of advertising display 
affords good practice in apt use of words and in artistic 
arrangement of headlines, text, and white space. 

Suppose we look over the shoulder of a professional copy 
writer, and see how he works out the idea for an advertise¬ 
ment. 1 

The first step is to decide what the message will be, in 
this case the arrival of Austrian crepe mufflers to be sold at 
ten dollars, the central theme of the sales talk. After de¬ 
termining what his appeal shall be, the copy writer carefully 
writes his material, arranging the paragraphs in order of 
importance to the reader and selects the item for headline 
emphasis. This headline should be as short as five words if 
possible, but long enough to be interesting. 

When his copy is completed, the ad writer surveys the 
space available. The advertiser has told him the amount 


1 The authors are indebted to Walter Warrick and Cedric Seaman of 
the W. E. Long Company, Chicago, for charts illustrating the stages in the 
growth of an advertisement. 


WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 


223 


FINE 

CREPE 

MUFFLER 

SQUARES 

$10 


■Of rich, soft crepe 
?<—Just received from 
Austria. 

In white, pearl gray 
and buff—woven in 
; beautiful self-figured 
pattern*. All are. 
fringed. $10. 

Other Cut Silk 

Muffler Squares 
$330 to $20 


Knitted Mufflers 
$10 to $30 


Fine Imported 
Wool Mufflers 
$5, $6, $7 



The Men s Store 

Carson Pirie Scott & Co 


Figure III 

Showing the advertisement as printed. 














224 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


of money he desires to spend on the advertisement, and 
the copy writer has translated this into column inches. 
The copy man then makes a pencil sketch of the space. He 
draws in roughly an illustration that visualizes the message 
to the prospective buyer, using heavy lines for the headline, 
lighter lines for the copy space. He makes a line for the 
signature as heavy as the headline, or heavier. Then he 
submits a sketch like Figure I for approval. See page 
220 . 

If this rough layout is approved, he makes a more compre¬ 
hensive one to be followed by a newspaper typographer, 
marking out the exact space the illustration is to fill, with 
specifications as to type for the headline. Caslon Bold or 
Bodoni Bold, both good faces, are available in most news¬ 
paper shops. 

The advertising manager of a newspaper will usually pre¬ 
pare the art work and engravings needed. Art work should 
be one-third larger than the actual size of the engravings 
to be used, so that all lines will stand out boldly after re¬ 
duction. If engravings are not practicable, mats may be 
selected from an advertising service furnished by the printer. 

In this case the client has a standard cut for his signa¬ 
ture; otherwise the copy writer would have had Carson 
Pirie Scott and Company set in bold type at the bottom of the 
advertisement. 

When *the layout is clearly indicated, the ad writer at¬ 
taches his copy to it and asks the newspaper to set the 
advertisement according to specifications; then to sub¬ 
mit a proof. The directions are given in Figure II, page 
221 . 

When the proof is returned, the copy writer compares the 
proof with the comprehensive layout, reads copy carefully, 
marks any errors, and writes out his corrections. When the 
proof is finally approved, he marks it 0. K., initials it, and 
returns it for insertion in the paper. Figure III, page 223, 
shows the way the ad looked when printed. 


WRITING ADVERTISEMENTS 


225 


Readings 

Durstine, R. S. Making Advertisements and Making Them Pay. 
Scribner. 

Herrold, Lloyd D. Advertising for the Retailer. Appleton. 
Herrold, Lloyd D. Advertising Copy, Its Principles and Practice. 
Shaw. 

Hotchkiss, G. B. Advertising Copy. Harper. 

Sampson, E. Advertise! Heath. 


CHAPTER XV 

PROBLEMS OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 


Business Staff Organization. News organization is a 
thing never to be minimized. Another real problem, 
however, is to make the publication a successful venture. 
The paper, no matter how well printed, no matter how in¬ 
teresting, must show a financial profit month by month, 
or fail through lack of sustaining revenue. This chapter, 
therefore, concerns itself with the application of sound 
business methods to the art of publishing. 

Administration of the financial affairs of the school 
newspaper rests upon intelligent direction and coopera¬ 
tion. It is a good plan to have a faculty adviser give close 
supervision to the work of departments charged with 
solicitation of advertising, sending out bills, keeping books, 
gathering subscriptions, distributing papers. The adviser’s 
“head man” is the student manager, chosen for the job 
after he has proved his competency in some minor staff 
position. 

Two department chiefs will be needed to complete the 
business organization, (1) the advertising manager, selected 
jointly by the adviser and business manager; (2) the cir¬ 
culation manager, similarly chosen. Each manager is 
authorized to appoint his own younger assistants, basing 
his selection on proved ability and capacity for hard work. 
If the paper is produced by the printing laboratory, the 
business department should seek the cooperation and prac¬ 
tical advice of the plant superintendent and his assistants. 

When advertising, subscription, circulation, and collection 
subordinates are put to work at the same time as the business 
manager, opportunity is given them to learn the operation 

226 


PROBLEMS OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 227 

of the business, so that they are in a favored position to 
carry on the following year when selection of a new business 
manager is made from their number. 

Duties of the Business Manager. Organization of the 
advertising wing of the business staff, under immediate 
control of a capable supervisor, is perhaps the first duty of 
the business manager as he starts work for the year. Once 
advertising solicitors and copy men have been chosen, de¬ 
tailed instructions must be given them on what they are to do. 

Solicitors should be assigned certain accounts, become 
acquainted with the merchants, and then arrange a definite 
time to call for advertising copy. By delegating one boy 
to take care of the same accounts throughout the year, 
personal contact is built up, and responsibility centered. 

The subscription manager should see to it that every 
student in school takes the paper. Such an executive should 
be appointed because of his ability to organize and conduct 
an energetic campaign for subscribers. 

The credit manager has charge of all accounts. He should 
make records of space used and see that bills are submitted 
promptly the first of the month. 

Frequent meetings of this staff, for purposes of reports 
and discussion, will develop harmony and keep everybody 
on his toes. 

Let us now consider in detail some of the problems con¬ 
fronting the advertising department. 

Plan a Definite Sales Talk. Before the advertising mana¬ 
ger, or faculty business manager, sends out advertising 
solicitors, they should be told to speak briefly, courteously, 
and tactfully as fit representatives of their school. 

As salesmen of white space, solicitors should know the 
following facts about the paper, a copy of which they should 
take with them to show merchants: 

1. Enrollment of the school. 

2. Circulation of the paper. Homes represented. 

3. Sections of the city from which pupils come. 






228 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


4. How many times the paper is issued during the year and on 
what day of the week. 

5. Proof that teachers and alumni read the paper. 

6. Advantages of a contract by the year rather than at irregular 
intervals, since such advertising is cheaper, and becomes 
more effective because of its repetition. 

7. One hundred per cent class circulation. 

8. Receptivity of the student mind to advertising suggestion. 

Advertisements should not be solicited on the basis of 
good will or charity but because actual buying power is 
represented by pupils, who must have the merchant's wares, 
suits, hats, ties, hosiery, cosmetics, compacts, sweaters, 
books, school supplies, tires, auto supplies, furniture, grocer¬ 
ies, magazines, books, radios, sheet music, and the like. 

Advertisements in high school papers often fail to bring 
results, because they do not challenge attention, either by 
their wording or by their typographical dress. Solicitors 
should possess some skill in producing copy that pulls trade, 
if they expect to build up advertising patronage. 1 Above 
everything else, solicitors should believe in the value of 
the service they have to sell. Some downtown stores and 
commercial organizations have regulations discouraging 
advertising in high school newspapers. This prejudice is 
disappearing. National clothing and frock ads, ads for 
typewriters, comptometers, and similar products often ap¬ 
pear in high school publications. One of the best ways to 
secure advertising is to prepare a layout of a size that the 
solicitor feels the merchant will purchase. Such copy will 
usually prove more effective than that prepared by the 
client, and eliminates the necessity of calling the second 
time for the copy. 

Advertising Rate Card. At the outset the advertising 
manager should furnish contract cards to his corps of solici¬ 
tors, who, in turn, are instructed to mail bills for advertise¬ 
ments at the end of the month, passing over such money to 

1 In this connection read Chapter XIV on the writing and display of 
advertisements. 


PROBLEMS OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 229 

the manager in charge of the books. A marked copy of the 
current paper should be sent each advertiser by a circula¬ 
tion assistant, perhaps delivered to him by the collector. 

The following rate card may be adapted to suit almost 
any school; for the advertising rate varies with locality, 


THE WALLA-WALLA HIGH SCHOOL 
Walla-Walla, Washington 
The Wa-Hi Journal Rate Card 

ON CONTRACT FOR 30 ISSUES 

1 to 3 inches inclusive.30c. per col. inch 

4 inches and above.25c. per col. inch 

BY SINGLE EDITION 

I inch.35c. per col. inch 


1 Page.$20 

Full page.... 35 

Classified Directory, yearly insertion. 2 

Classified Advertisements, per insertion 

per line. 10 j£ 


dimensions: — Size of page 17x22 inches; 8 col¬ 
umns. Column width, 2 inches; column 
length, 21 inches. 

Ads not Accepted for page 1 . 

Advertising for this Newspaper is now the only advertising 
which Wa-Hi publications solicit. 

School Enrollment — 1233 
950 Homes Represented 


Model Rate Card 

school enrollment, circulation, and size of paper. The price 
per inch is rather low, possibly because printing costs are 
not so high as in metropolitan centers. 

Keeping Tab on Advertisers. Solicitation of advertising 
from the merchants of the town needs the same careful at- 













230 


WRITING FOR PRINT 

tention to detail as does the gathering of routine news. The 
only efficient way is to know how many business firms may 
be considered as possible advertisers, and then to adopt a 
scheme by which representatives of the business department 
are assigned to call regularly upon the merchants. Results 
of the canvass should be tabulated on cards every day by 
the solicitors. 

The plan worked out by the Holtonian, Holton, Kansas, is 
so specific that it is offered here as a reliable guide to adver¬ 
tising solicitors on other school newspapers. Note this ex¬ 
planation : 

1. From phone book make list of all possible advertisers. Place 
the names on cards as indicated. 

2. Take card from file each issue as assigned to student for 
solicitation and place student’s name after the coming issue 
number on side of card marked “ Solicitation.” Keep these 
cards in separate file. 

3. Students’ reports are classified in three groups: “new copy 
in,” “ repeat,” and “refused.” The appropriate one of these 
responses is placed under the heading “report” when the 
student makes the report, and the cards are kept in groups. 
Sometimes a more definite statement is made rather than 
“refused,” for instance next “issue,” “see about Dec. 10.” 

4. The day before going to press a check is made of the cards. 
We find: 

A. The original but depleted file containing cards of adver¬ 
tisers who have not been assigned for solicitation. If we 
are short on advertising, we will make further assign¬ 
ments from the most promising of this group. 

B. A group of cards all marked “new copy in.” We have 
sent this copy to the printer. 

C. A group of cards marked “repeat.” We have notified the 
printer to repeat the last previous ad of these firms, have 
sent in marked copy of the last issue. 

D. A group of cards marked “refused.” These should be 
watched for suggestions of future possibilities. 

E. Perhaps some cards assigned but unmarked with reports. 
Students whose names are on these cards should be inter¬ 
viewed immediately. 


PROBLEMS OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 231 

5. The cost column may be filled in and checked with statements 
made out directly from the paper. 

6 . The same student collects for previous ads and solicits for 
future issues, but he makes his reports to two different 
persons. 

7. After the question of payments has been taken care of, all 
the cards are then returned to the original file for reassign¬ 
ment. Statements of payments due are attached to cards. 

The accompanying card, showing record of solicitation, 
copy insertion, and payments on advertising run indicates 
how the Holton system operates in practice: 

SOLICITATION 
Beauchamp Pharmacy 

ADVERTISER 

Issue Student Report 

1 Charles Monrose Copy in 

2 u 11 Repeat 

3 John Sunning Copy in 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 
9 

10 
11 
12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

Advertising Contract. When merchant and advertising 
solicitor reach an agreement on the amount of advertising 
desired, and the rate to be paid per inch, a contract should 
immediately be signed in duplicate and placed on file. Mem¬ 
ory is tricky. Written records instantly show what the ad¬ 
vertiser has agreed to do, in case any question arises. 

The form of agreement need not be elaborate, but it should 


Issue 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 
9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 
1C 


Advertising Placed 
and Payments 

Cost, £ 

80 Pd. 

80 Pd. 

80 






232 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


be specific, businesslike. A sample advertising contract, 
with sliding-scale provisions that encourage the merchant to 
advertise regularly, is presented below. If a flat rate card 
is adopted, irrespective of number of inches used, a formal 
contract probably is unnecessary. The sliding-scale agree¬ 
ment, however, makes possible printing of a steady volume 
of advertising throughout the year. The advertising mana¬ 
ger should see that merchants are called upon regularly 
and that they fulfill the terms of their space contracts. 

.19. 

Central Outlook 
Columbus, Ohio: 

You are hearby authorized to publish advertisement in your 

biweekly publication occupying a space of inches in length, 

single column or its equivalent, the same to appear.times begin¬ 
ning with the . issue; for which .. agree to pay you 

$. per issue, payable on proof of publication 


ADVERTISING RATES 


Space 

One time 

5 times 

16 times 


1 inch ... 

...$ 0.70. 

..$ 0.60 each... 

...$0.55 each. 


2 inches... 

... 1.35. 

.. 1.10 

... 1.00 


4 inches... 

... 2.60. 

... 2.20 

... 2.00 

Accepted for Central 

6 inches... 

... 3.80. 

... 3.00 

... 2.75 

Outlook 

8 inches... 

... 5.00. 

... 4.00 

... 3.50 


I page, ... 

... 8.00. 

... 7.50 


SOLICITOR 

h page ... 

... 15.00. 

... 14.00 


Approved 

1 page ... 

... 28.00. 

... 25.00 




ADVERTISING MANAGER 


Service to the Advertisers. Every advertising solicitor 
needs to keep in touch with the march of seasons and events 
in order to advise merchants on opportune times to use 
printer’s ink. For instance, during the winter party season, 
at the time of the Junior Prom, all dress shops and haber¬ 
dashers become exceedingly popular. This is an excellent 
time for these firms to advertise seasonal articles, since these 
make direct appeal to student needs. Usually, some sort of 



































PROBLEMS OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 233 


advertising tie-up may be established with practically every 
school event. « 

Another way to encourage advertising is to send out 
questionnaires seeking answers from students on what they 
buy and what shops they patronize. Merchants can thus 
be shown that their goods are in demand and possibly be 
induced to buy more space. Merchants who do not get 
their share of custom should be “sold” on the idea that, if 
they advertise regularly, they will attract larger student 
patronage. Such a questionnaire works to the mutual ad¬ 
vantage of paper and advertiser. 

An assortment of newspaper cuts in mat form, with attrac¬ 
tive copy attached, is now available to school publications. 
The text of these ready-made ads may be easily changed to 
fit the market of the local merchant. 

Cultivate the Small Ad. A profitable field for classified ads 
may also be cultivated among pupils themselves and among 
dealers in small articles. These “little fellows” may be 
roughly grouped under For Sale, Lost, Wanted, Found, and 
the like, and payment made at the rate of ten cents a line, 
which brings considerable revenue. 

One way to secure ads of this type is to assign a member of 
the staff to telephone all the classified advertisers represented 
in the town or community newspaper. If readers have lost 
an article in the vicinity of the school, or need student help, 
or have an article for sale that should appeal to boys and 
girls, they should be urged to use the official paper, on the 
strength of the fact that every student reads the school 
weekly. 

An innovation, combining profitable advertising with news 
features, is found in the publication of an “As We See It” 
column where sales announcements written by students ap¬ 
pear regularly. These reading notices bring ten. cents a line. 
The items should be readable, informing, specific. The 
following compilation was printed in the High News, Lake- 
wood, Ohio. 


234 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


As We See It 


Music is a wonderful thing for all. If you wish 
to become a pianist or wish to extend your study 
and become an advanced pupil, call Lakewood 
2169-W for appointments. Miss Helen Billing- 
ton Westphalinger’s studio is located at 1205 
Gladys avenue. Being a pupil of Mme. Chau- 
mont at Paris is enough recommendation for 
Miss Westphalinger. 

* * * 

John Colville Dickson can develop your voice 
and improve your singing. He uses the famous 
old Italian method. Call Boulevard 3651-J for 
appointment or further information. 

^ •I 5 '(* 

That broken window in your car may be re¬ 
placed by the J. Bruening Company, 11905 
Detroit avenue. They also carry a complete 
line of automobile accessories. Phone Boulevard 
1254. 

* * * 

For your next haircut try the Madison- 
Marlowe Shop, located at 2002 Marlowe, south 
of Madison. They do first-class work only. 

* * * 

Insist on Weideman Boy Brand pure foods 
when buying at your grocery store. This brand 
of food is served in our cafeteria. 

* * * 

Interested in stamps? See Robert L. Maurer, 

Home Room 320, and get particulars concerning 
the Cleveland Stamp Club. 

* * * 

Shoes need new heels? The Acme Shoe Repair 
Shop can take good care of you. They are 
located at 11904 Detroit avenue. All their repair 
work is guaranteed. Give them a trial. Their 
phone number is Boulevard 0158. 

Keeping Advertising Records. After the advertisement is 
printed, the next task is to enter the proper charge on the 
advertiser’s account in accordance with terms of his contract. 
Such businesslike procedure is woefully neglected on many 
school publications. As a result many dollars are lost every 









PROBLEMS OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 235 


Name . 

Address. 

Tel. Number. 

Name of Adv. Mgr. 

Contract . 

Remarks . 

Solicitor. 

P 55 MVu/vyv'vi uyueJv 


Date 

Space 

Debit 

Credit 

Balance 

Inches 
to date 

Bal. of 
Contract 

9-19 

3 

1.65 


1.65 

3 

247 

9-27 

7 

3.85 


5.50 

10 

240 

9-29 

6 

3.30 


8.80 

16 

234 

10-1 

4 

2.20 


11.00 

20 

230 

10-21 

4 

2.20 


13.20 

24 

226 

10-22 

14 

7.70 


20.90 

38 

212 

11-3 



20.90 




11-4 

12 

6.60 


6.60 

50 

200 





































Memorandum for an Advertiser 


















































236 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


year. Advertisers often protest that advertisements did not 
appear on the date ordered, that mistakes had been made in 
billing. Careful bookkeeping offers the only solution to 
these problems — also written instructions in record form 
relative to every item in the transaction. 

The card on page 235 shows how a memorandum of a 
merchant’s advertising may instantly be made available. 
Monthly bills are based on insertions itemized on this card. 

Securing Subscribers. Many of these considerations 
about advertising revenues are not pertinent in some schools. 
For example, the Senn News of the Nicholas Senn High 
School, Chicago, does not carry advertisements at all, but 
depends on sale of papers to meet cost of production and add 
to the reserve fund. When the paper is cut off from this ad¬ 
vertising revenue, the business office through its circulation 
department must do heroic work to boost the number of 
subscriptions to the point where the paper becomes self- 
sustaining. The Senn News is a successful business. Out of 
a student body of 3800, solicitors sell every week 2850 copies 
of the paper at five cents each. Two special editions the 
Hallowe’en and April Fool numbers — are sold for ten cents 
apiece, with substantial increase in revenues. The cost of 
the paper — seven columns, four pages — is approximately 
$140 an issue. You may figure out the profits for yourselves. 

Ingenious methods in salesmanship are employed by the 
solicitors to sell the paper. Posters, bulletins on the black¬ 
board, and team contests are utilized to boost circulation, 
with satisfactory results. A solicitor is assigned to each room 
in the building and reports on the number of papers sold 
when he turns in his money. The blank shown on page 237 
pictures how the final reckoning of sales is determined at the 
end of the week by the circulation manager. 

The surest way to get and hold readers is to print a con¬ 
sistently good newspaper that every one wants to read, and 
then to issue only enough copies to supply the demand. 
Stacks of unread “extras” cost money. 


PROBLEMS OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 237 


The Nicholas Senn High School 
SENN NEWS 
Weekly Report 1 

Date . 


Count 

Div. 

Rm. 

Order 

Out 

Ex. 

Pd. 

Ex. 

Out 

Ex. 

Ret. 

Remarks 

X 

P—1 

9 

X 

3 

5 

2 

0. K. 

X 

P—5 

17 

X 

3 

5 

2 

0. K. 

X 

130 

13 

X 

5 

5 

0 

0. K. 

X 

136 

30 

X 

3 

3 

0 

0. K. 

X 

156 

19 

X 

15 

20 

5 

0. K. 


1 Explanation of Weekly Report: 

The check mark in the first column indicates that the order for the indicated 
room has been made up. 

The number of the division room is indicated in the second column. 

The column headed “order” designates the number of copies the room has paid for 
before Thursday (the day for distribution). 

The number in the “extra-out” column designates the number of additional papers 
given the room salesmen on Thursday. 

The number of extra papers that are sold is put in the “extra-paid” column. 

The “extra-return” column is the check on the number of extra papers returned. 

The “out” column is where the unaccounted papers, if any, are listed. 

The total number of sales for the room is taken from the order and extra-paid 
column. The salesman returns with money or papers Thursday afternoon. 

Subscription Cards. If room distribution and individual 
cash sales do not seem practicable, another subscription 
method is that of accepting payment for the semester, and the 
issuance of a receipt card signed by the solicitor. One half 
of the card may be filed in the office under the proper room 
number and in alphabetical order. Each solicitor is given 
enough cards to distribute to each pupil in his room. The 
subscriber’s receipt may be presented, if necessary, when 
he calls for his paper. Some business managers favor the 
ledger system to record subscribers’ names and the amount 
paid. The card system, however, seems better adapted to 
the average high school. Here is a sample: 

































23S 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Room .No. 186 

Room .No. 186 

I subscribe for the 

Received of. 

Weekly Polaris 





for subscription to the 

to . 

Weekly Polaris 

Name- . 


jEtcOTfl . 


Home Address . 

Solicitor . 

Solicitor. 

_- 


The easiest method of distribution in high schools that 
do not have home rooms is to adopt the plan of a central 
depot, stationed within the school building, where subscrib¬ 
ers may call for their papers. A list of bona fide subscribers 
may be posted there as a guide to the boy in charge. A 
ticket, made out to a paid subscriber and containing numbers 
along the margin, is another useful device. When the depot 
clerk gives a paper to a subscriber, he punches the right 
number on his card. Giving of free copies is thus elimi¬ 
nated. Another satisfactory method is the sending of a home¬ 
room list, with the paper, to the sales representatives. 

A Subscription Campaign. One of the best means of se¬ 
curing subscriptions is to organize teams of solicitors and to 
promote a spirit of competition between them by offering 
prizes to the ones securing the highest number. Girls are 
well fitted for this work. It is best to pick the most promi¬ 
nent and best-known girls as team captains, who in turn select 
others to work on their teams. By canvassing the merchants, 



















PROBLEMS OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 239 

it will usually be found that they are willing to donate prizes 
to the winners, in return for publicity secured by so doing. 

Another method for increasing circulation is one used by 
the Marshall News of the Marshall High School in Chicago. 
At the beginning of each five-week school period, a card 
“ entitling bearer to five consecutive issues, including a 
supplement number,” is sold for twenty-five cents in the 
section rooms. The News business manager thus explains 
the system: 

The perforated tag is detached and worn by the students as a 
reminder to slackers. Every week, subscribers present their stubs 
to the room representatives of the News, who collect the proper 
perforation in return for a copy of the weekly. Students retain 
their remaining stubs for the following issues. After five weeks, 
a general sale of cards is again inaugurated, with the same process 
repeated. 

This plan makes for a larger circulation than semester subscrip¬ 
tions when the total sum must be paid at one time by the subscriber. 
The continuous grind of weekly sales campaigns and bookkeeping 
is no longer made necessary. 

A sample form: 


Wear This Tag 

I Have 

KEEP this STUB! 



o 

o 

o 

'o 

Subscribed 

This card entitles the 

<u 



4) ce 

U <e 


for 

bearer to 5 consecutive 



11 

g g 

2 £ 


issues of the Marshall 

o 

s 

8 


o v 


o v 

The 

News, including a sup¬ 

8 

04 

G 

42 -c 
tjH 

42 


f 

o 

NEWS 

t 

plementary number at 

25 cents. 

E 

.2 

o 

CD 

c n 

8 

Q 

J 

8 

o 

Have You? 

Present perforated stub to deputy. 

Z £ 






Posters, telling of the campaign and “selling” the good 
points of the paper to students, should be made and placed 
in prominent places about the school. The art department 
should be asked to help, and enough posters and signs se¬ 
cured so that every one will know of the drive. One school 
sends student “sandwich men” into the lunchroom advertis- 












240 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


ing the paper the day before publication. If possible, some 
sort of paper tag or button should be designed and every 
subscriber tagged. This practice tends to stimulate more 
interest, and those who have not subscribed can easily be 
discovered. Results of the drive should be posted on a 
conspicuous bulletin board every day. The latter form of 
announcement is also good advertising since it attracts 
favorable attention to the paper. 

At Fort Collins, Colorado, the necessity of a subscription 
campaign is obviated by the introduction of a student en¬ 
terprise fee, payable at the beginning of each semester, which 
includes a subscription to the school paper. This form of 
cover fee exacted of all students is coming into popular use. 

Printing the Paper. If the paper can be printed on the 
premises as a job turned out by the school printing office, 
numerous financial worries will be eliminated. The type 
may be set and the paper printed by apprentice students, 
thus cutting down the cost of manufacture. Most schools, 
however, must depend on the commercial printing office, and 
must pay the usual rate for composition and press work. 

If the printing is done by a commercial firm, the business 
manager should draw up specifications and submit them to 
several concerns for their bids. He should take care to see 
that everything is considered in his specifications, so that he 
will not have heavy charges for additional work. It is easy for 
a concern to supply a base rate, but if the contract is not all 
inclusive, it is within the firm’s rights to charge for extras. 

Important items to consider in dealing with the printer 
are: 1. number of copies; 2. day of publication; 3. size of 
page; 4. number of pages; 5. paper stock; 6. size of type and 
slug for straight matter; 7. percentage of advertising; 8. per¬ 
centage of hold-over ads; 9. number of halftone cuts; 10. 
deadlines for advertising and news copy; 11. reading of 
proof and makeup of dummy pages; 12. time and place of 
delivery; 13. date of payment; 14. cost of “ killed” matter 
per inch; 15. casting of advertising and feature mats. 


PROBLEMS OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 241 

Another matter of importance relative to keeping down of 
printing cost centers in the degree of cooperation between 
the editorial and business staffs. Both should work together 
in such harmony that the editorial staff will not have material 
all set up in type that cannot be run because of space required 
for advertisements. The cost for material put into type, but 
not used, is needless expense and bad business. 

The advertising staff should know beforehand just how 
much space it will require and inform the news editors in 
ample time. The editorial staff should also plan its work so 
that copy reaches the office before the deadline expires, and 
thus prevent overtime charges for composition and makeup. 

Subscription rates vary throughout the country. Few 
school newspapers can be printed for less than $1.50, a 
school year, on the basis of thirty issues. Costs for printing 
mount in large cities, with accompanying increases in over¬ 
charge expense. 

Adoption of a Budget System. To determine the financial 
status of the publication frequent reports should be required. 
In the case of a weekly publication, an accounting should be 
made not less than once for every four issues. Whenever 
possible a financial report should be prepared following every 
issue. 

A close check must be kept on receipts and disbursements; 
this is only possible by depositing in the bank all funds re¬ 
ceived and by making payment by check duly counter¬ 
signed. Such a method is certain to stop leaks, so numerous 
in high school organizations. 

Yearly subscriptions, when paid in advance, must be pro¬ 
rated over each issue, so that every number will have its 
just share of revenue and also bear its portion of the burden. 

In figuring the receipts from advertising, the manager 
must take care that the returns are not overestimated. A 
reserve should be built up to care for accounts that cannot 
be collected. Foreign advertising should be accepted only 
after the agency from whom the account is received has been 


242 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


investigated and found reliable. Collections should be kept 
up to date. A new account is easier to collect than one which 
has run for a long period. 

Adoption of a budget system is the only sure way to keep 
in touch with the paper’s financial condition. At the time of 
the business manager’s appointment, he should draw up a 
budget for the entire year, figuring out approximate costs 
and income. Records from previous years can be used to 
good advantage. Before beginning operations, the business 
manager should have a good idea of just what cost will be 
entailed and how much revenue he will be able to secure. 
Once a budget of this sort is made up, it is much easier to 
gauge operations from month to month and correct any 
deviations from the standard. At the end of the year the 
business manager should compare the results obtained with 
those outlined, and report on the reasons for the differences. 

If this system is followed for several years and accurate 
records kept, each incoming business manager will have 
plenty of material to guide him. A sample budget adopted 
by the Daily Northwestern is shown herewith; it may be 
modified to suit the needs of the school newspaper. 


Expense Income 


Telephone & Telegraph $ 

185.00 

N. U. Calendar 

$ 275.00 

Staff Medallion Awards 

100.00 

Classified Advertising 

200.00 

Managers’ Salaries 

1,760.00 

Subscriptions 

8,000.00 

Staff Salaries 

450.00 

Advertising 


Office Salaries 

960.00 

National $ 2,000.00 


General Expense 

175.00 

Local 15,000.00 

17,000.00 

Editorial Expense 

325.00 



Printing 

16,420.00 



Circulation Expense 

800.00 



Stationery & Printing 

100.00 



Staff Luncheons 

75.00 



Bad Debts 

400.00 



Advertising Commissions 

1,975.00 



Unauthorized Advertising 

200.00 



Total Expense $23,925.00 

Total Income 

$25,475.00 



Profit 

1,550.00 


(A minimum of $13,450.00 of local advertising is needed to break even.) 




PROBLEMS OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 243 


Suggested Readings 

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 

McKown, Harry C. Extra-Curricular Activities. Macmillan, 
1928. Chapters dealing with high school publications and their 
business management are timely and helpful. 

Bunker, Gallup, Harper, and Stout. The Business Depart¬ 
ment of School Publications. Lombard Press, Iowa City, Iowa. 
The most complete discussion of business management. 

ADVERTISING 

Farrar, Fred. Type Book. Harper. 

Sampson, E. Advertise! Heath. 

Hotchkiss, G. B. Advertising Copy. Harper. 

Herrold, Lloyd D. Advertising for the Retailer. Appleton. 

Hall, S. Roland. The Advertising Hand Book. McGraw-Hill. 

High School Advertising, pamphlet issued by the Division of 
Publications, Board of Education, Cleveland, Ohio. 


CHAPTER XVI 

OTHER TYPES OF SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS 

While the school newspaper probably engages the major 
attention of students in journalistic courses, other publi¬ 
cations exist that prove quite as useful in developing writing 
aptitudes and instilling appreciation of sound business prac¬ 
tices. Many high schools are not large enough to support a 
weekly publication, but impulse to write with applied pur¬ 
pose may find outlet in related channels, perhaps better 
adapted to educational needs than old-fashioned methods of 
composition. It is the purpose of this chapter to indicate 
some of these mediums. 

News Letter. One of the earliest types of communication 
in America was the news letter, a form easily adapted to suit 
the needs of the high school. In style of writing the news 
letter resembles the school weekly. It may even have head¬ 
lines and subheads. Instead of being printed it is generally 
mimeographed, typed, or made by hand. The stories are 
limited in range and length because of this cumbersome 
method of presentation, but may, nevertheless, exhibit good 
newspaper technique, while the staff may be organized as for 
the regular school paper. 

Bulletin Newspaper. When it is not possible to furnish 
duplicates of the official school publication to students, one 
master copy of the paper may be made and posted on the 
school bulletin board, and also read in assembly. After stories 
have been typed, or written column width, they should be 
pasted on heavy cardboard. The headlines may be printed 
by hand and a cartoon, picture, or boxed feature added for 
the sake of variety. A small staff may be organized to carry 
on the necessary functions of news gathering and editorial 
comments. 


244 



OTHER SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS 


245 


In ancient Rome and in the Middle Ages, news bulletins 
were posted in some public place where the populace might 
read the latest tidings. A bulletin board, containing the 
record of local happenings, attracts the same rapt interest 
today in many a crowded corridor of a school building. 

Elementary School Paper. The regulation school news¬ 
paper may be reduced in size to fit the elementary school. 
Such a paper carries the usual departments, and is conducted 
by the staff under the supervision of the department of 
English or directed by the regular grade teacher. Supervis¬ 
ors and office assistants generally supervise the mimeograph¬ 
ing of the sheet; and the children bind the pages, color the 
stencilled drawings, and distribute and sell copies to other 
pupils for two or three cents apiece. 

News for this elementary sheet is drawn from the home 
and school interests of the child. Items about their pets, 
new babies, posters, objects of art made for mother and 
father, contests, winners in spelling, health notes, how to 
behave, jokes, and cartoons command instant attention. 
Even though the sheet be a modest one, the spell of the news¬ 
paper still persists. 

Still another channel to secure publicity for the stuff of 
the newspaper, if the printed sheet does not seem feasible, 
is to promote the composition of an oral chronicle. Students 
may be assigned to report on real events, or allowed free rein 
to find these for themselves. Another group may be asked to 
produce editorials, another advertisements, another society 
items and personal brevities. At the usual class hour all the 
grist may be offered in the form of oral reports, made with 
due regard to the technique of newspaper presentation. 

School Page in County, Town, or City Paper. Often an 
editor of a community paper is glad to devote one page or 
part of one page each week to the publication of school news. 
A staff may then be organized for the conduct of this de¬ 
partment, and the copy submitted early in the week to the 
editor. Encourage writing of articles about the school and 


246 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


the larger aspects of its work, rather than those dealing ex¬ 
clusively in personal and social items. 

The school page in the town or city paper has decided ad¬ 
vantages. It costs nothing, has a wider circulation than the 
school paper, and reaches all classes of people, impressing 
the taxpayers from whose income the schools are financed. 
When a new bond issue is required, no better medium for 
reaching the public can be found. Little interviews from 
students, teachers, and citizens on this subject have proved 
very effective before voting time. 

Sometimes an editor will permit a staff of students to get 
out an edition of the regular paper. Many dailies offer prizes 
for the best news hunches sent in by the pupils. All of these | 
devices bring the school close to the home and community. 1 

County Consolidated School Paper or Magazine. It is 
obviously impossible for each centralized or township school j 
to have a publication, so the rural and village schools in the 
county may find it expedient to combine forces to print a 
paper or magazine at stated intervals. This one school 
publication of ten or twelve county schools is a real “ product 
of cooperation furthering cooperation/’ and often represents j 
the work of one hundred or two hundred pupils. 

Special Editions. The school newspaper occasionally ac¬ 
cepts the opportunity to issue special editions, such as sports 
specials, play or convention specials, holiday, hobby, and 
alumni numbers. A special literary supplement of the high 
school paper published at midyear, and at the end of the 
second semester, may take the place of the annual, or supply 
the waning literary features of the yearbook. The evening 
session of the school often conducts a supplement, or has a 
special page in the paper. 

Literary Magazines. Few schools are able to afford both 
a newspaper and magazine. Two publications complicate 
the problem of the advertisers, and many business men feel 

1 This plan is discussed in detail in Harrington and Harrington, The 
Newspaper Club, Heath. Special attention is directed to Chapter II. 





OTHER SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS 247 

that they cannot give advertising to both a paper and a 
magazine. The latter is an expensive form of publication 
and interesting in the main to a limited number of persons. 
Its place is being taken in many schools by the school news¬ 
paper or by the literary supplement of that publication. 

The so-called news features of the magazine must of 
necessity be uninteresting because it is published only seven 
or eight times a year. 

The literary and art features are often of unusual merit, 
j Many beautiful magazines, from a typographical and artistic 
| standpoint, are produced in high schools, academies, and 
private schools, but such publications are likely to become 
stilted and too academic, not fairly representing the various 
activities of the entire student body. 

Annual. The present-day annual is becoming a kind of 
j glorified picture book, a memory album, and thus is passing 
I from the field of news writing. The literary features have 
almost disappeared. The volume itself has become pro¬ 
fessionalized or commercialized, and often represents very 
little student creative work, but a vast amount of labor for 
the faculty adviser and business staff. Nevertheless sons, 
daughters, parents, and often principals all want the publica¬ 
tion, and it promises not only to survive but to expand. 

Here are some recommendations concerning the annual 
made byH. D. Furst, superintendent of schools at Cedarville, 
Ohio, that are sure to prove helpful in publishing the 
book: 1 

1. It should be kept in mind that the annual is a permanent 
| record for students; it requires a great deal of time and effort; 

it is expensive; it should be planned according to the size of your 
school. 

2. The faculty should play a large part in the selection of the 
staff, which should be organized according to the departments of 

! the book, and headed by an editor-in-chief and business manager. 

! After the staff is selected, the general layout of the annual should 
j be started, preferably not later than September or October. 

1 Published as a monograph by the department of educational research, 

! School of Education, Ohio State University. 







248 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


3. The budget must be determined early, in order that the staff 
will know what to depend upon as to the size of the book to be 
published, number of pages, and type of cover. 

The cost of engraving will usually run from 35 to 40 per cent of 
the total cost of publishing. Since engravings are a large item in 
the cost, it is advisable to select an engraving company early 
(September or October), and take advantage of the larger discounts 
offered for work received before their busy season, always the last 
four months of the school year. 

The cost of covers will depend upon the quality as well as the 
number needed. Flexible imitation leather covers, including the 
cost of binding, will usually run from 15 to 20 per cent of the total 
cost of the annual. The flexible imitation leather cover is recom¬ 
mended for a book of 150 pages or less; for a larger book, a leather- 
covered cardboard cover. 1 

The remainder of the budget will be taken up by the cost of 
printing and minor expenses. Secure bids on the printing at a 
“per page” rate. 

4. After making out the budget, the next step is to outline plans 
for financing the project. 

The sale of the annual should be the main source of income, 
but for the medium-sized book (100 to 150 pages) $1.25 to $1.50 
per copy is sufficient for high school students to pay. 

Assessment of classes and organizations for the cost of their 
engravings is recommended. It is also a good plan for the seniors 
to pay a part (about half) but not all of the cost of their engrav¬ 
ings. 

Advertisements are almost a necessity, but should not be over¬ 
done. After one has estimated the number of copies to be printed 
and sold and the amount to be received from assessments, it is 
easy to determine the balance to be raised by means of advertise¬ 
ments. The rate per page of $18 is recommended; half-page, $10; 
one-fourth page, $6; and one-eighth page, $3.50. 

In order to safeguard against loss, sufficient subscriptions should 
be secured during the month of October, so that the staff will be 
assured of financial success. The annual should be self-supporting. 
It should be delivered to the students not less than three weeks 
before commencement. 

Mr. Furst follows up these main suggestions with some 
minor recommendations: 

1 Encourage pupils, through the art department, to design the cover, 
borders, and colored sheets, using block and linoleum prints to divide 
departments. 


OTHER SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS 


249 


1. Select a name with some particular meaning in connection 
with the life of the school. The name should become traditional 
and permanent. Do not call it simply “The Annual.” 

2. Practically every annual has a theme. If at all possible, 
this central theme should have local significance and a community 
tie-up. The theme should be reflected throughout the book on the 
cover, division, sectional, and title pages; in fact everywhere it 
can be introduced without detracting from the general appearance 
of the page. 

3. The foreword should be briefly written and merely state 
the aim of the staff, as to what it has tried to do and the spirit 
in which the book is published. 

4. Almost every annual is dedicated to some person, to some 
organization, perhaps to an ideal. An apt dedication adds to the 
value of the book, providing that tact and good judgment are used 
by the staff. Sometimes it is better to discuss this dedication with 
a group, such as the board of education, the faculty, or prominent 
alumni. 

5. A table of contents should always be printed in order to 
group the activities or the divisions of the book. 

6. Individual pictures of the faculty are recommended, in¬ 
stead of mounting on panels or in a group. Faculty pictures should 
always be included, as these photographs are particularly valued 
in later years. Faculty snapshots, showing familiar surroundings 
are especially interesting. 

The senior pictures are the high spot of the annual. Here again 
it is best to use individual pictures in groups of four to six on a page. 
Half-page pictures of groups and organizations are recommended. 

7. Only such material as will be of permanent value should 
be permitted to go into an annual. This practice will eliminate 
literary material, such as prize essays and prize poetry. Write-ups 
of faculty, seniors, classes, clubs and organizations, class poems, 
class will, class horoscopes, school calendar, humor, and alumni 
directory are always appropriate. Use humor sparingly, especially 
clipped jokes. 

8. At least two pages of snapshots are recommended. If they 
are well selected and mounted in good form, they will add a great 
deal to the value of the book. The snapshot pictures should be 
collected throughout the year in order to get a large assortment 
from which to make selection. It is advisable to have a special 
committee to look after this work. 

9. A school calendar is also a valuable addition. This should 
be started early in the year. Many of the events can be expressed 


250 WRITING FOR PRINT 

in a humorous manner in order to make this section even more 
interesting. 

10. The jokes should be run through the advertisement section 
in order that the latter will be read more frequently. This section 
should be located in the back part of the book. 

11. It is essential that the sales campaign “go over big.” It 
should be planned and not allowed to extend over a long period 
of time. It is suggested that the sales campaign be launched during 
the months of January or February for not longer than one week. 
Staff members are the logical ones to sell the annuals, as they will 
naturally take more interest in the success of the campaign. They 
should have their work planned in such a way that they will be 
practically free from their regular duties while taking the sub¬ 
scriptions. 

The campaign should be well advertised in advance. The 
students must have sufficient time to think about it and also to 
inform their parents in order to secure the necessary amount to 
purchase their annuals. 

It is suggested that tags be given to all students subscribing dur¬ 
ing the week of the campaign. These tags should have printed on 
them “I have bought an annual, have you?” They will be much 
more attractive if they are red in color. 

Handbook. High schools, like colleges, are now issuing 
handbooks. These handbooks are worth while, especially to 
new students, if they are well edited. Instructors find the 
books helpful in presenting the rules of the school to the 
pupils. 

One particularly interesting handbook was written and 
compiled by the class in journalism of the Elyria, Ohio, High 
School. It contains general information about the school; 
its organization; and student rules, such as lunch periods, 
use of the library, making and changing of schedules, marks, 
examinations, social functions, and other events. Another 
division is concerned with program of studies and suggestions 
about schedules. The pupil is given information about 
credits, requirements for graduation, curriculums, entrance to 
colleges. The fourth section is headed “student activities, ” 
and following that comes general information concerning 
admission to the high school, promotion, graduation, home 


OTHER SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS 


251 


study, lost and found, student employment, smoking, tele¬ 
phoning. Guideposts on conduct in the corridors, classroom, 
or assembly come next. A miscellaneous list, at the close, 
contains songs and yells, scholarship reports, high school 
book lists, collateral reading lists, and blanks for mem¬ 
oranda. 

Three elaborate handbooks, with many educational fea¬ 
tures added, are issued by the Central High School, Tulsa, 
Oklahoma. These books also show investigation and super¬ 
vision by students. 


PART II 


NEWSPAPER USAGE 

COPY-DESK PRACTICE 

If every news writer did his work to accord with his own particu¬ 
lar system of capitalization, punctuation, and word usage, endless 
trouble would ensue. Such confusion is overcome by the accept¬ 
ance of certain rules for office practice to be used by the entire staff. 
In the interest of uniformity, writers should accept this practice 
without question. Its rules should be consistently observed, or 
the style book is valueless. 

Newspaper style and literary style are different. The newspaper 
uses capital letters sparingly and abbreviates plentifully in the 
interest of easier and quicker reading. For the same reason it 
punctuates sparingly and makes frequent use of short sentences. 
The newspaper writer has his own laws for paragraphing. Literary 
paragraphs contain a unit of thought; newspaper paragraphs are 
divisions of these units. This practice makes for shorter paragraphs 
easily understood, and adds white space to an otherwise solid column 
of small type. 

For the most part, this style sheet advocates use of small letters 
instead of capitals. If the editorial board desires to capitalize 
events and traditions of local significance, an order listing such 
words should be issued to the staff, and then rigidly enforced. 

General Instructions 

1. Use copy paper. 

2. Write on the typewriter and double space all copy. 

3. Begin story halfway down the page, leaving room for head¬ 
lines, which should be written after the story is completed. 

4. Keep a margin of one inch on both sides of the sheet. 

5. Do not begin a new paragraph on the last line of a page. 

252 


COPY-DESK PRACTICE 


253 


Indicate that a story is to be continued on another sheet by writing 
the word more at the bottom of a sheet. 

6. Indicate that the story is completed by the use of an end 
mark #. 

7. Make your copy conform to the school style sheet. 

Capitalization 

When in doubt, don’t is a good rule for capitalization. Most 
newspapers prefer small letters (lower case) to capitals (upper 
case). In other words, they put letters down instead of up. The 
up style: The Superintendent lives near the Parsonage. The 
down style: The superintendent lives near the parsonage. 

Capitalize: 

1. Titles preceding names: Superintendent Heady; but not 
where the title follows the name: R. F. Healy, superintendent of 
schools. 

2. Distinguishing names of associations, societies, clubs, when 
these words are part of the official title of the organization: Young 
Men’s Christian association, Writers’ club. 

3. The preceding the name of the school and High School 
when referring to one’s own school: The Riverside High School. 
When referring to other schools, however, make it: the Englewood 
high school. 

4. School, academy, depot, building, street, theater, and such 
words only when they are a distinctive part of the title: Bryant 
School for Girls; but write: Merchant Trust building, Neil street, 
Methodist Episcopal church, Park theater. 

5. Names of federal and state, but not municipal, departments 
of government: White House, but: fire, and light department. 

6. East, West, Middle West, North, South when used to indicate a 
section of the country. Do not capitalize: northeast, westerner. 

7. Distinctive localities: West End, Picnic Point. 

8. The names of books, plays, speeches, songs, titles of ad¬ 
dresses, and the like. Principal words only should be capitalized 
in titles: “A Kiss for Cinderella.” 

9. The names of papers and magazines, but do not capitalize 
the: the Chicago Tribune. 


254 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


10. Nicknames of athletic teams and fanciful titles of states 
and cities: Hawkeyes, Chicago White Sox, Mound City. 

11. Notable events, wars, races, nationalities, holidays, and 
battles: Easter, the World War. 

12. Island, river, ocean, lake, when used in a specific name: 
Atlantic Ocean, Lake Michigan. 

13. Names of religious bodies, political parties, Bible, words 
standing for it, and all names used for the Deity: Methodists, 
Episcopalian church. 

14. Distinguishing words of school events: Class day, Freshman 
week. 

15. Abbreviations of college degrees: A. B., M. A., Ph. D. 

Do not Capitalize: 

1. Names of school subjects: algebra, geography. 

2. Names of classes: junior, senior. 

3. Titles in lists of officers: Mary Brown, recording secretary; 
Harry Jones, treasurer. 

4. Staff positions on the paper: news editor, copy reader, reporter. 

Abbreviations 

1. Abbreviate the names of states, territories, and possessions 
of the United States when used after the names of cities; not 1 
otherwise. The Postal Guide gives the correct abbreviations. 

2. Saint may be abbreviated in proper names. Mount, Fort, 
and the like should be spelled out. Do not abbreviate the names 
of cities. 

3. When the full name or initials are given, Doctor, Professor 
and Reverend may be abbreviated. 

4. Abbreviate academic degrees after the name: Harry 
Brown, M. A. 

5. Spell out per cent, avenue, railway, brothers, street, company. 

6. Do not abbreviate proper names. 

7. The days of the week are spelled in full, also the months 
of the year, except in date lines. 

8. Abbreviate number when followed by figures: No. 8976. 

9. Never use Xmas for Christmas. 

10. Never use an abbreviation that the average reader will 
not understand. Common abbreviations, such as Y. M. C. A. 


COPY-DESK PRACTICE 


255 


and W. C. T. U., will be understood, but the names of many local 
organizations, if abbreviated, will not. 

11. Do not use abbreviations in headlines. 

12. Do not abbreviate such names as George, John, Charles. 
Where Thomas is shortened to Tom, do not use a period. 

13. Abbreviate the class numeral after a name: George 
Roberts ’33. 

Figures 

1. Do not begin a sentence with figures. If the sentence cannot 
be rewritten to avoid it, spell out the figures. 

2. Use figures for definite numbers greater than 10. When 
speaking in round numbers spell them: Almost a hundred were 
present. 

3. Use figures for ages, street and telephone numbers, receipts, 
and athletic scores. 

4. Write dates as follows: March 21, not March 21st. 

5. Do not write useless ciphers when giving sums of money. 
Write $5, not $5.00; also write 7 o’clock or 7 p.m., not 7:00 p.m. 

6. Spell out sums of money under $1: sixteen cents. 

7. Spell out fractions: three-fourths of an inch. 

8. When used in combination with larger numbers, use figures 
for numbers under ten: 3 children and 20 women. 

9. Use the following forms in reporting summaries of athletic 
events: 

Track 

100-yard dash: Ward, Chicago, first; Knight, Chicago, second; 
Hammitt, Illinois, third. Time: 9 4-5. 

Shot Put: Des Jardien, Chicago, first; Schobinger, Illinois, second; 
Currier, Illinois, third. Distance: 41 feet, 3 inches. 

Half-mile run: Campbell, Chicago, first; Stegeman, Chicago, second; 
Stout, Chicago, third. Time: 1:55 2-5. 


Baseball 

SENN R H A PO E 

Arbuckle cf. 0 2 0 0 0 

Krebs 3b. 1 1 3 2 0 

Football 

Lineup 

WEST HIGH (10) SOUTH HIGH (0) 

Derby, Squier Left End Strader 

Petty Left Tackle Krai 

Chapman Left Guard Bartz 




256 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Basketball 


WICHITA — FG FT 

Asman, (C.), f. ^ * 

Stewart, f. 2 1 

Hennigh, .. 5 1 

Moffat, g. 1 0 

Wentworth, g. 1 0 

Callahan, f . 0 0 

Bennett, c-f. 0 1 

Wiley, g. 0 0 

Millspaugh, g. 0 1 

Wilbur, .. 0 0 

Price, f. 0 0 


P 

1 

2 

3 

4 
1 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 


Totals. 


14 5 11 


WELLINGTON — FG FT 

Shire, f. 1 ® 

W. Grant, f. 1 0 

W. Grant, c. 4 0 

Jones, g. 0 0 

Clark, g. 0 0 

Cooper, g. 0 6 

Chitwood, f. 0 0 

Wyatt, f. 0 0 


P 

3 

2 

1 

2 

1 

2 

1 

0 


Totals. 


6 6 12 


Titles 

1. Do not use Mr. when initials or Christian name are used. 

2. Use Mrs. before the name of a married woman, Miss before 
that of an unmarried one. In giving lists of married women Mes- 
dames may precede the list. Misses is also correct before lists of 
unmarried women where initials or Christian names are used with 
the surnames. Omit Miss when speaking of high school girls. 

3. Abbreviate titles before proper names, except when initials 
or surnames are omitted: Gov. Alfred E. Smith, Col. Charles A. 
Lindbergh; but Governor Smith, Colonel Lindbergh. 

4. Do not use unwieldy titles, as Director of Manual Training 
Jenkins. Say Frank Jenkins, director of manual training. Do not 
use “name handles,” as Grocer Robbins. 

5. Do not use Esq. following a man’s name. 

6. Never say Mrs. Dr. Jones, Mrs. Senator White. Mrs. Butcher 
Dayton would be just as logical. 

7. Give the title professor only to members of a college or uni¬ 
versity faculty of professorial rank. Superintendent and principal 
are words generally used in high schools. 























COPY-DESK PRACTICE 


257 


Quotations 

1. Be sure to end quoted matter with quotation marks. Where 
the quotation is broken into paragraphs, place quotation marks 
at the beginning of each paragraph and at the end of the last. 

2. Use single quotation marks for a quotation within a quota¬ 
tion. Double marks are again used for the third quotation: John 
said, 11 1 told her, ‘go at once.’” 

3. Where an incomplete quotation is used, include a dash within 
the quotation marks: “I am sorry, hut—” 

4. Quote all direct quotations, but not indirect quotations: 
He said, “I have been hurt,” but — He said he had been hurt. 

5. Titles of books, words used in a peculiar meaning, slang 
expressions, and words used ironically are quoted: That's a u cork¬ 
ing” story. 

6. Do not quote names of characters in books and plays, nick¬ 
names, names of cars, vessels, horses, dogs and the like: The 
Aquitania docked today. 

7. Do not quote names of newspapers: The Chicago Evening 
Post. 


Punctuation 

The Comma (,) 

Use a comma: 

1. To set off parenthetic words, phrases or clauses: Clinton, 
as everybody knows, will win the game. 

2. When a clause is not closely connected with the main sen¬ 
tence: Clinton high school, which stands on East Broad street, cele¬ 
brated its birthday yesterday. If the clause is closely connected with 
the main thought, omit the comma: Any one who doesn't enjoy 
sports is unusual. 

3. To separate coordinate adjectives: pretty, adorable, rosy- 
faced youngster. Omit the comma when the words are not inde¬ 
pendent, but connected with what follows: a tall slim glass. 

4. To set off participial phrases: Cheering him lustily, the crowd 
dispersed. 

5. To set off phrases or expressions at the beginning of a sen¬ 
tence when they are loosely constructed: To tell you the truth, I 
am only a freshman. 


258 WRITING FOR PRINT 

6. When its absence would obscure meaning: Whatever is, is 
right. 

7. To separate the month from the year: January 18, 1928. 

8. To set off words, phrases, and clauses used appositively: 
The junior assembly, the room on the left, is crowded. 

9. To indicate the omission of a verb in a compound sentence: 
John was elected president; Mary, vice-president. 

10. To set off words, phrases, or clauses used parenthetically: 
I told him, as I said before, we could not enter the contest. 

11. To introduce a short quotation: Miss McElroy said, “We 
shall leave at 3 p.m.” 

Omit the comma: 

1. Between the name and Jr., and Sr.: John Dillon Jr. 

2. Before a coordinate conjunction in a compound sentence and 
in such a series, as, Will, George and Jack. 

3. After such as: Drinks such as pop, soda-water and lemon¬ 
ade. 

4. After a name followed by a class numeral: James Smith 
’29. 

The Semicolon (;) 

Use a semicolon: 

1. In long compound sentences to show greater separation than 
that indicated by a comma: He did not go to California, as he 
planned: he went to New York. 

2. Before therefore, however, consequently, so, then and similar 
conjunctive adverbs connecting coordinate clauses: He was doing 
excellent work in algebra; therefore, he was permitted to do advanced 
work in mathematics. 

3. To separate distinct clauses in the same sentence: War 
has come; the dove of peace has flown. 

The Colon (:) 

Use a colon: 

1. In giving time: 7:30; and between the verse and chapter in 
scriptural references. 

2. After such expressions as, as follows: viz. 

3. Before a long formal quotation: The report said: No action 


COPY-DESK PRACTICE 


259 

would be taken on the conduct of the students uniil the student council 
had given its decision. 

4. After resolved. 

The Hyphen (-) 

1. Use the dictionary to determine the best practice in the use 
of hyphens. Never use a hyphen unless it is necessary. 

2. In the case of prefixes ending with a vowel, the hyphen should 
be omitted unless the word to which the prefix is joined begins with 
a vowel: preconceived, rebirth; but co-education. 

3. When the prefix does not end with a vowel the hyphen should 
ordinarily be omitted: intercity, expatriate. 

4. When the word to which the prefix is joined begins with a 
capital letter, use the hyphen even though Rule 3 is violated: 
pro-American, mid-Victorian, pro-German. 

5. Do not hyphenate baseball, bylaws, carload, today, football , 
basketball, lineup, handball, touchdown, racetrack. 

6. Generally, when names of things are given prefixes of one 
syllable, make one word: flagship, airship, masthead. But when 
the prefixes are of more than one syllable, make two words: dining 
room, opera house. 

The Dash (—) 

Use the dash: 

1. To indicate a significant pause: I asked for bread and they 
gave me — a stone. 

2. To show an abrupt change in thought: I desire to say — I 
am not a college graduate myself—that college trained men have 
exerted a vast influence on business. 

3. For emphasis: In the afternoon — mark you, in the afternoon — 
the band will play on the lawn. 

4. To indicate faltering or broken speech: I — I don’t know. 

5. To show an unfinished sentence, or an interruption: And 
as for you —. 

6. To set off parenthetical expressions: The great ideals of our 
school—fair play, integrity and steadfastness — are endangered. 

Omit the dash: 

1. When the comma will do just as well: Let us proceed to dinner, 
if you are willing. 


260 WRITING FOR PRINT 

The Parentheses ( ) 

Use the parentheses: 

1. To set off an unrelated part of the sentence or discourse: 
Poe’s Tales (you can now find them in cheap editions ) should he on 
the shelves of every library. 

Note. — Parentheses are seldom used in newspapers. 

The Apostrophe (’) 

Use the apostrophe: 

1. To indicate the possessive case of nouns, but not of pronouns: 
The boy’s coat; the school’s song; but mine, yours, hers. 

2. To indicate contractions: didn’t, aren’t. 

3. To spell the plural of letters, figures, signs and words: 6’s, 
t’s, and’s. 

4. To indicate the omission of letters at the beginning and end 
of words: readin’, writin’, ’rithmetic. 


TROUBLESOME WORDS AND PHRASES 

Above. Should not be used as an adjective or a noun. Say the fore¬ 
going statement rather than the above statement. Not to be used in the 
sense more than. 

A fleet, effect. These two verbs should not be confused. Affect means 
to influence; effect means to bring about. 

Aggravate, irritate. Aggravate means to intensify, to make worse; irri¬ 
tate means to provoke to ill temper. These words are not interchange¬ 
able. 

Agree to, agree with. Agree to is used in speaking of terms; agree with 
in speaking of persons. 

All the farther. The correct expression is This is as far as I can reach, 
rather than This is all the farther I can reach. 

All together, altogether. All together is used in the sense of all is to¬ 
gether, as, All together greeted him; altogether means wholly, entirely, 

and is an adverb. 

Alright. There is no such word as alright. The correct expression is 
all right. 

Alternative. Can be used when there is a choice between two things. 
Never more than two. 

Among, between. Among implies a relationship of one in the midst of 
a number; between implies a relationship between two. 

Angry at, angry with. Angry at is used with ideas or things; angry 
with is used when persons are the object. 

Anyways. There is no such word. Write anyway. 

As. Be careful not to overwork as. Use because, and never use as in 
the place of that and whether. 

As to. In such expressions as as to how, as to why, as to when, as to is 
unnecessary and cumbersome. 

At about. A t is unnecessary. Say He left about five o'clock rather than 
He left at about five o'clock. 

Avocation. Not synonymous with vocation; properly it means some¬ 
thing aside from one's regular calling. 

Balance. A term in bookkeeping. Misused in the sense of remainder. 

Be back. Say return. 

Beside, besides. Beside is a preposition meaning at or by the side of; 
besides is an adverb meaning in addition to. 

But what. After expressions of doubt use that instead of but what: 
I have no doubt that he will return. 

Calculate. Another bookkeeping term. Usually one thinks, intends, 
supposes or expects. 


261 


262 


WRITING FOR PRINT 

Can, may. These words should not be confused. Can implies ability; 
may implies permission. ^ 

Certain. Do not use certain in place of some. Instead of saying Certain 
among us believe this, say Some of us believe this. 

Claim. Not synonymous with affirm. To claim is to assert ownership. 

Colored man. Say negro. 

Compare to, compare with. Compare to is used to show likenesses only; 
compare with , to show both similarities and differences. ^ 

Consider as. Say “ We consider him to be one of our best students, 
not “ We consider him as one of our best students.” 

Consul, counsel, council. A consul is a person representing a govern¬ 
ment in a foreign country; a counsel is a lawyer; a council refers to 
a body of men meeting for discussion. 

Continual, continuous. Continual means a regular recurrence; con¬ 
tinuous means an uninterrupted continuity. 

Date. A slang expression for appointment or engagement. 

Depot. Means a store room, a freight house. Trains stop for passengers 
at a station. 

Dies from or with. Write die of. 

Different. Different from is the correct usage. 

Donate. Give is the less affected word. 

Dope. A word too much used in sporting stories. 

Dove for dived. The past tense of dive is dived, not dove. 

Down. Defeat, conquer, win from are in good usage. 

Due. Is an adjective and should not be used adverbially. “ His success 
is due to his wife” is correct, but not “ He made a name due to his 
wife.” 

Editorial “we.” Often used in the editorial columns, but almost never 
in news stories. 

Elegant. An affected word. It means marked by refinement, grace, 
or symmetry. 

Endorse, approve. Endorse means to give sanction to or write on the 
back of; approve means to regard as worthy, proper, or right. Plans 
are approved, not endorsed. 

En route. Write on the way. 

Enthuse. A colloquialism. Use enthusiastic. 

Except, accept. Except means to omit; accept, to receive. These 
words are often confused. 

Ex-president. Say former president. 

Farther, further. Farther denotes actual distance; further is used when 
physical measurement is not implied. “ The further you go into the 
subject the more interested you are in it.” 

First rate. Use it as an adjective, but never as an adverb. Correct: 
“That’s a first-rate theme.” Incorrect: “ You write first-rate.” 

Fix. Fix as a verb means “to fasten.” It is incorrect to use it in the 
sense of adjust. 

Funny. This should only be used in the sense of giving fun. It should 
not be used to mean odd, queer, remarkable, or unusual. 


TROUBLESOME WORDS 263 

Gentleman. Say man. Likewise, use woman rather than lady. Use 
lady as a title of nobility. Do not say widow lady , simply widow. 

Gentleman friend. Vulgar. Say friend, acquaintance. Lady friend 
is in the same class. 

Graduated. A class graduates; the student is graduated. 

Grand. Means imposing or magnificent in proportion. Do not over¬ 
use this word. 

Had his leg broken. An idiom in slightly dubious standing. Had 
here implies volition. People don’t have such things done. 

Half-hour. Say: an half-hour, a half-hour, or half an hour, but not 
a half an hour. 

Healthy, healthful, wholesome. Healthy means in a condition of 
health; healthful means conducive to health; wholesome means that 
which is in itself sound and which promotes health. 

Help but. But is unnecessary and incorrect. 

In. Often misused with verbs of motion for into. Say “He threw it 
into the fire,” not in the fire. When a verb has no object in is correct: 
“Come in.” 

Individual. Used mainly in a news story as an adjective. Give the man’s 
name, or use a pronoun. It is not an exact synonym for person. 
Individual contrasts the particular with the general. 

Its, it’s. Its, the possessive pronoun, takes no apostrophe; it’s is a 
contraction of it is. 

Kind of a. When followed by a noun, the a should be omitted. 

Liable. A legal term. One is liable for damages or to arrest. An 
event is likely to occur or happen. 

Lie. The principal parts are lie, lay, lain. The principal parts of 
lay are lay, laid, laid. 

Like. Cannot be used as a conjunction. It should not be substituted 
for as or as if. 

Loan. Is a noun. Lend is the verb. 

Lot, lots of. Avoid this term entirely. 

Lovely. A significant word when used in the right place. Do not 
apply it to a suit of clothes or to a dessert. 

Mad. This means insane, not angry. 

Most. Do not use for almost. 

Nearly. An adverb meaning almost and should not be confused with the 
adjective near, having reference to distance in time, place, or degree. 

None. Singular. “ None of the men were there ” is logically incorrect, 
but it is being frequently used now-a-days. 

O. Is used with the vocative as, “0 bountiful hills.” Oh is used for 
exclamation, with punctuation. Oh, I see my mistakes. 

Off of. It is incorrect to use off and of together. 

Only. Be careful to place this word correctly in a sentence, or ambiguity 
will result. It should always be placed next to the word it modifies. 

Party. Always implies number. It should never be used to refer to 
one person except in a legal document. 

Pep. Sadly overworked. 


264 WRITING FOR PRINT 

Popular. Means suitable to the public in general A tWng therefore, 
cannot be popular with one person or with a small group of persons. 
Posted. Should not be used in the sense of inform 
Principal principle. Principal may be an adjective or a noun. It 
means the highest in rank. Principle is a noun and means the sour 

QuHe dt Meins 01 “To the fullest extent.” It does not mean very or con¬ 
siderable. Such phrases as “quite a few,” “quite a little have, 

therefore, no meaning. , 

Show. Slang for concert, play, opera, arcus, performance. 

Tlfe reason^isi^Cannot be followed by any clause or phrase except one 
introduced by that. It is incorrect to say The reason is due to 
or “The reason is on account of.” , , 

Through. Should not be used in the sense of completed or finished. 

Try and. Use the infinitive after try. Try and is incorrect. 

Turn turtle. Write turn over. . . , , . 

Unique. Means the only one of its kind. It is incorrect to say most 

unique or very unique. 

Very. Generally unnecessary. Beware of the superlative. 

Where. Is not a synonym for that. It is incorrect to say, I see 

where the Jones have returned.” 7 , , „ 

Write-up. Technical newspaper term. Report, relate, describe, write, 
can often be used instead. Avoid overuse of up on verbs, as: burn 
up, store up. 



DICTIONARY OF COMMON NEWSPAPER 
TERMS 


Add. Directions written on copy showing that it should be added 
to a story already written or in type. 

A. P. Abbreviation for Associated Press. 

Art. Any illustrative material used in connection with news. 

Assignment. A story delegated to a reporter by the news editor. 

Beat. The territory assigned to a reporter and to be covered regularly. 

B. F. Bold face type. 

Blind interview. An interview in which the name of the person inter¬ 
viewed is not given. 

Blotter. A register used by the police for recording arrests. 

Boiler plate. Material furnished to small papers by syndicates, cast 
in plates of column width and ready for insertion. The term “boiler 
plate” is, therefore, applied to material ready for use as filler. 

Box. A frame made with rules, stars, or periods and intended to in¬ 
close important news. Used for emphasis where convenient sum¬ 
maries are desired. 

Break. News is said to have broken when it is available for publication. 

By-line. The line containing the author’s name. 

Colored news. Stories which are written so that the facts are exagger¬ 
ated or underplayed. 

Copy. All manuscript in a newspaper office, prepared for publication 
by copy readers. Clean copy requires little editing. Time copy is 
copy which is as good tomorrow as it is today; therefore it may 
be set up by the printers when they would otherwise be idle. Used 
as “filler” in special editions or in the absence of live news. 

Copy cutter. The man in the composing room who cuts stories into 
takes and distributes these takes among the various linotype operators 
to be set up. 

Copyholder. An assistant to the proofreader who reads the copy to 
check it with the proof. 

Copy reader. An assistant in the editorial rooms who corrects the re¬ 
porter’s copy, writes headlines for it and prepares the copy for the 
printer. 

Cover. To get and write the facts of a story. 

Cub. A new reporter learning to collect and write news. 

Dead. Composed type once used in the paper and not to be used again. 

Deadline. The latest time after which no copy for a given edition will 
be received. 


265 


266 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Athletic advance 


Dope. Slang for material to be used in a story. 

stories are often called dope stories. 

Em. The square of the body of any size type. 

Fake. An invented story. Not countenanced in any reputable news- 

Feature. The striking fact of the story introduced in the first sentence 
A feature story aims to entertain and inform, rather than to present 

Filler. Material used to fill a few lines at the bottom of the column. 
Flag. The announcement of the paper’s name and terms, usually at 
the top of the editorial column. 

Flash. A telegraphic announcement of an event. 

Follow. A story giving additional and later details of an event that 

has already been carried. , . 

Future book. A book in which the city editor keeps the dates of coming 

Head. Short for headlines. A subhead is a line of type used to set off 
the paragraph divisions of a story. Top heads are used for important 
news at the top of the column. 

Hell box. A box into which discarded type is thrown. 

Hold. Instructions on copy, directing the printer not to publish until 
further notice. 

I. N. S. Abbreviation for International News Service. 

Insert. Later information to be inserted in the body of a story. 

Kill. To strike out type or copy. 

Lead (pronounced leed). The gist of the story as contained in the 

opening sentence. . , , 

Leads (to rhyme with heads). Thin strips of metal used to separate 
lines of type. To double lead is to use two leads for the sake of added 

emphasis. A1 , 

Line dash. Dash used to separate one story from another. Also used 

in headlines. 

Local. Any news happening within the territory covered by the paper. 
Makeup. The physical appearance of the paper, the arrangement of 
type, pictures, and headlines. 

More. Written at the end of copy to show more is to come. 

Morgue. The filing cabinet in which are kept clippings, photographs, 
and copy to be used in preparation and display of stories. 

Must. A penciled order written on copy, indicating the story must be 
printed immediately. 

Pi. Hopelessly disarranged type. A pi-line is a freak line cast by a 
linotype operator who has made an error and fills out the line by 
striking the keys at random. 

Play up. To put unusual emphasis on a certain set of details. 

Query. A correspondent’s telegram, giving the main fact of a story 
and asking if more is desired. 

Release. To permit publication of a story at a specified date, but not 
before. 


NEWSPAPER TERMS 


267 

Revise. A second proof sheet pulled after the first corrections have 
been made. 

Rewrite. A story rewritten from another previously printed story. 

Rewrite man. One who rewrites copy or writes stories from material 
furnished by others. 

Run. See beat. 

Scoop. An exclusive story. 

Slug. A solid line of type set by a linotype machine. Every story 
bears a slug or title when it is in the process of being prepared for 
print. This slug does not appear in the completed story. 

Space writer. A writer who is paid according to the amount of copy 
he writes. 

Spot news. News of an unexpected nature that cannot be forecast 
such as accidents, deaths, wars. 

Stick. About twenty lines of type, approximately 150 words. The 
number of lines a composing stick will hold. 

Story. General name for all newspaper articles, other than editorials. 

String. A continuous ribbon of pasted stories written by a single re¬ 
porter. 

Subhead. Heading used in the body of the story between paragraphs 
to make the story easier to read. 

Thirty. Symbol used at the end of the story to show it is completed 

Tip. A lead about where a story may be secured. 

U. P. United Press. 


PART III 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 

CHAPTER I 

1. Write a brief news letter to some friend, telling him of an 
interesting experience you have had recently. 

2. Read what some textbook on rhetoric has to say about 
exposition, narration, description, argumentation, persuasion; and 
clip examples of each form of discourse from the columns of your 
local newspaper. 

3. Do you find that these forms of writing blend within the 
boundaries of the same articles? Clip such specimens and comment 
on them. 

4. What is the significance of the name of the newspaper? 
When was it founded and by whom? Have most papers today been 
established for many years? 

5. How many columns are printed on the average newspaper 
page? Why are the columns of type so narrow? 

6. How many different localities are represented in the paper? 
What place is mentioned most often in the issue you are studying? 

7. Choose news articles in the paper which you think would 
appeal to everybody. What kind of headline carries the most 
important story? 

8. What is the meaning of Associated Press, United Press, 
printed above certain stories? 

9. Pick out articles supplied by a newspaper syndicate. Why 
are they printed? 

10. Make an analysis of the kinds of stories published on the 
front page, and account for their news value. 

11. Explain the day’s cartoon and why it is printed. 

12. What is the leading editorial of the day? Why has the sub¬ 
ject been chosen, and what does the writer hope to do? 

13. Choose and analyze some of the most interesting advertise- 

268 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 269 

merits, and show the literary devices used by the writer to catch 
attention. 

14. Pick out a feature story, and contrast its opening sentence 
with a conventional news story lead. 

15. Locate some of the cities mentioned in the news. 

16. Pick out five prominent men mentioned in the news, and 
tell something about their life histories. 

17. Discuss the subject matter and literary treatment of some 
article containing advice as offered by an authority. 

18. Study the type of sentences most favored by reporters in 
writing their news. Are the paragraphs short or long? 

19. Find five unfamiliar words in newspaper stories and define 
each briefly. 

20. Read some of the letters written by readers to the news¬ 
paper editor. Is any one of these letters convincing, especially 
well written? 

21. Read the captions and descriptive matter used with pictures 
appearing in the paper. Do they represent the photographs ac¬ 
curately? 

22. Tabulate the kinds of writing found in the humorous column 
appearing on the editorial page. Most of these items have been 
sent in by contributors. 

23. Study the structure of the want ads. How do they differ 
from news items? 

24. Do you find any story or article which you would consider 
a literary masterpiece? 

25. Why are most of the stories appearing in newspapers un¬ 
signed by the authors? Is this a good or bad thing? 


CHAPTER II 

Desultory reading of newspapers, without definite objective, 
is certain to prove profitless. A series of reports on aspects of 
newspaper making is required of students in reporting in the Medill 
School of Journalism. The practice may suggest similar lines 
of purposeful investigations. 

Here is a report based on your study of one metropolitan and one 
high school paper, laid side by side. 

1. How do these two papers differ in use of streamer headlines? 


270 


WRITING FOR PRINT 

Discuss samples of headlines from the point of view of count and 
emphasis of news features. 

2. How are personal brevities and news incidents handled m 
these papers? Give contrasting specimens, with comment. 

3. Note violations of office style in stories printed. 

4. Find examples of sentences well built, or carelessly thrown 
together, with consequent effect upon emphasis, compactness and 
clearness 

5. Discuss how both papers handle introductory sentences, 
using exhibits. 

6. See if you can find in each paper examples of the twelve 
varieties of writing discussed in Chapter I. Account for their 
presence or absence. 

7. Compare the editorial pages of both papers as regards content, 
literary effectiveness, typographical dress. 

8. What practical ideas developed by an examination of the 
city paper would you incorporate into the making of the school 
paper? 

CHAPTER III 

i 

1. You have been studying personal and local items. How 
do these constitute news? 

2. Select from your own experience some incident which seems 
to you worth printing as a news item. 

3. Analyze the news ingredients contained in five stories clipped 
from daily papers. 

4. Clip five personal items from school newspapers received 
as 11 exchanges /’ and show how the structure of these items may 
be improved. 

6. How do you distinguish news from gossip, the letter, con¬ 
versation, rumor, the literary theme? 

6. Find subjects for personal items at the railroad station, the 
cafeteria, the confectionary store, the drug store, the waterworks, 
the public library, the laundry, the post-office, the park, the play¬ 
ground, a garage, a restaurant. 

7. What sort of questions do you think a reporter should frame 
in approaching some person for news information? Should he use 
a notebook? 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


271 


8. Show how some characteristic remark of the person involved 
in the news item may be inserted into the body of the story, so as 
to give interest and variety. 

9. Choose some news incident, and show five ways of telling 
it for print. Indicate which version most successfully brings out 
the important feature. 

10. How would you get variety in lead structure in reporting 
routine news or personal items as these? ( a ) Five teachers going 
on a vacation. (6) Four students out of school, (c) Four class or 
club meetings, (d) Striking idea to arouse interest in a coming 
entertainment. 

11. Do you note items like these effectively handled in the school 
papers? 

12. Would you try to write a headline for each personal item 
published or would you assemble them under such labels as, Per¬ 
sonal Mention, You and Your Friends, Heard around School, You 
and If 


ii 

The accompanying compilation of brevities illustrates many 
faults in news writing. Many of the “ personals ” are vaguely phrased 
and need expansion; some are colored with the opinions of the 
writers; a few require the pruning knife. Read them carefully; 
then rewrite them, making any changes you think necessary to 
bring the important fact into the opening words of the items. 

1. Mr. Wiseman did not teach during the summer vacation; in¬ 
stead he was a tree surgeon and doctored trees in Central Park, New 
York. He said he liked the work because it kept him out of doors. 

2. Margaret Bundy’s nose is badly skinned as a result of the sopho¬ 
more basketball game. 

3. Dick Rivers was host to a number of his friends at the Orpheum 
theater not long ago. 

4. The four boys who were appointed to direct traffic after school 
and see that the younger children get across the street safely at dismis¬ 
sal time, think that the children are very careless and run needless risks. 

5. Many pupils received typing awards when the city contest was 
held for the commercial students. 

6. The girls’ gym classes are practising for a gym exhibition. 

7. Miss Amy Flowers went to California this summer. She had 
a wonderful time and went through the Panama Canal enroute West. 

8. Ted McSweeney is going to try for a part in the Senior Play. 
We wish you luck, Ted. 


272 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


9. The Marionette Club, under the direction of the Art Teacher 
and the English department, is going to have an exhibit soon, this 
will be very interesting to all because many people have never seen one. 
Our school has the only club of this kind m the city. 

10. Mr. Cromer’s botany class took a field trip ihursday. 

11. At a meeting of the Senior Girls held in Room 302 on Thursday, 
it was decided to limit the cost of graduation dresses _ 

12. Miss Winifred Gress doesn’t think much ol flying. When she 
was in Europe this summer she flew from London to Pans and says, 

“ Never again for her.” _ . „ ri , 

13. On June 13, John Tyson a Semor at the Woodrow Wilson High 

School, will go to the state capital to take his mental entrance examina¬ 
tions for Annapolis, having received his appointment through Congress¬ 
man Watson. . , . . , , . • „ 

14. Joe Walters is starting his second airplane in the manual training 
room. Joe got his first prize in the airplane contest sponsored by the 

Columbus Citizen this summer. , 

15 Emily Watson, one of our graduates, was a visitor at JNortft 
this past week. She will study in Italy next year, having received the 
Eleanor Duse scholarship award for study in that country. 

16 Our Oscar Mills, leader and soloist of the Boys Glee Club last 
year, has gone to New York where he will train to be a radio entertainer 
and take voice lessons. 

17. At the Boy Scouts Camp this past summer on Big Walnut 
“ Whitey” Matthews, last year’s basketball captain, was director ol 
Athletics. At Wilmington College this fall he was appointed captain 

of the first basketball team. innn . , 

18. A meeting of the Scribblers Club was held m Room 102 Wednes¬ 

day after school. Original poems were read including one by James 
Spear which was awarded first prize by The Scholastic Magazine. 
(This is news enough for a separate story.) . 

19. Clarence Riggleman was injured during football practice Thurs¬ 
day, September 6. 

Ill 


“Make it plain” should be the first aim of the news writer. 
Clearness is often defeated by long, incoherent sentences, unneces¬ 
sary words, lack of emphasis in the arrangement of words, and 
carelessly ungrammatical diction. The accompanying faulty sen¬ 
tences have been taken from newspapers and students’ copy. 
Criticize and reconstruct them. 

1. Each student is asked to send his or her contribution to the 
Red Cross rooms, as the case may be. 

2. Nobody should come to the meeting unless they are prepared to 
give. 

3. These sort of people make it indeed very difficult for the club 
government to do their full share. 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


273 


4. They both spoke after the banquet had been concluded. 

5. The wedding ceremonies were solemnized at high noon. 

6. The new recruits will assemble themselves at the Armory 
promptly at eight o’clock. 

7. A record is kept of the towels brought in and it will be necessary 
to look each boy up before giving him his towel, if these other fellows 
don’t come through. 

8. Mr. McVerne, an attractive and handsome man, belongs to one 
of the oldest families in the city, being the second son of Mr. and 
Mrs. Bertram McVerne of Millville place. He is a graduate of Mt. 
Pleasant Academy, a member of all the leading clubs and a general 
favorite. As a groom Mr. McVerne never looked better than in his 
wedding garb, which consisted of a black suit, beautifully cut in the 
latest style, ’with tie and shoes to match. On his bosom glistened his 
only ornament, an exquisite heart shaped pin set with diamonds and 
opals, a gift of the bride. The ceremony took place in the living room 
under a rose bower, to which place the groom proceeded supporting 
his mother, and followed by the ushers. There he was met by the bride 
and her attendants. The ushers in their attractive attire gave an added 
charm to the scene. Mr. William Stalman, a brother of the bride, 
wore a brown suit with accessories to match. Mr. Luther Starr wore 
gray with a ciel blue tie. Mr. Cecil Wenting wore dark blue with cream 
hose and tie, and Mr. Holland Grosner wore light tan with green acces¬ 
sories. 

9. Due to the coming of a rainstorm the roads were for hours 
blocked and made impassable. 

10. None of the livestock thieves who chose to take a dozen fresh 
eggs and nine prize hens in preference to jewelry from one of the Uni¬ 
versity farm buildings early Friday morning, have been apprehended 
as yet. The building being without the city limits, city police cannot 
be employed on the case, so the sheriff has taken charge, but so far 
without results. 

11. The wedding took place at the home of the bride in Maysville, 
which has 20 miles of the finest paved streets in the county. 

12. Miss Lulu Jones gave a small dinner party Thursday at Cedar 
Bluff where her parents have taken the Durflinger bungalow in honor 
of Miss Ethel Byers, who is her guest from West Jefferson. 

13. Our nocturnal marauder pilfered a large quantity of provisions 
and decamped with it before the alarm could be sounded. 

14. John H. Higgins and wife drove to Rantoul in his Cadillac car 
to Sunday with relatives. 

15. The company sustained a loss of $50 in the conflagration. 

16. He blew out his brains after bidding his wife goodby with a gun. 

17. After the collision with the fence, the car turned turtle and came 
to an abrupt stop, bottom side up. 

18. There is at the present writing 28 prisoners in the county jail. 

19. Having eaten their picnic luncheon, the steamer carried the 
mayor’s party on down the river to Vicksburg. 


274 WRITING FOR PRINT 

20. Without waiting for his companion, Policeman David Smith, 
who he had left in conversation with the shop owner Britten took after 
the fleeing man. 

21. The captain is on the last leg of a journey around the world and 
will leave for San Francisco tonight accompanying him is his wife and 
daughter. 

22. School children next Saturday will hold memorial services for 
Miss Doran, the school teacher who lost her life in an attempt to fly 
across the Atlantic. 

23. Fire early today destroyed a Chicago landmark. It was the old 
Robinson mansion. It was at 1-818 Prairie avenue. It had been built 
there in 1872. At that time the neighborhood was the fashionable 
residential district of the city. 

24. After spotting the high school freshies a large number of runs 
in the first inning the North Side Grade School came back strong and 
took the lead only to be beaten out in the final inning 15-14. 

25. Higher educational advantages is one of the fundamental causes 
that brought so many students to high school this year, showing that 
the youth of the land are very much interested in preparing themselves 
for life, as had been prophesied. 

Note. — For a complete discussion of good and bad diction, with illus¬ 
trative exercises, the student is referred to Woolley and Scott’s College 
Handbook of Composition (D. C. Heath & Co.). 

IV 

After you have studied Copy Desk Practice in Part II, read copy 
on the following sentences for typographical style. 

1. Therewill be an address at 3o’clock on the making of the Saint 
Ja,es version of the Bible by W. J. Davidson D.D. lasting half an hour. 

2. Photoraphssent by radio were printed for the first time time in 
hisotyr today by Chicago News ap pers The pictures were transmitted 
from new york by laboratory experts of the Radio Corporation of 
america during a demonstration of the invention at the radio show in 
New York. 

Officials of the corporation said tets and experiments had demon¬ 
strated that photoargphs couled by transmitted by radio as well as 
by wire and that commercial transmission would soon be offered the 
publick. Newspaper editors and publishers were at the sametime 
agreed that the invention by reson of the invention the earliermarvel 
of airplane transportation of pictures, with the thrills of night speed 
flying had become as obsolete as the pony express. 

The machines were installed in New York in order news pictures 
of celebrities at the radio should could be sent out in the shortest time. 
The time required to bring the pictures to Chicago was less than 10 min¬ 
utes, making allowancefor developing at each end. 

The pictures were seven by inches in size and included photographs of 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 275 

several notables, radioentertainers and movie stars, as well as general 
view of the show room and the thousands of sightseers. 

3. The time honored “C bench in front of Cobb hall at the Uni¬ 
versity of Chicago, tradit onally reserved for the use of seniors today 
is labelled in lage latter of green paint “Class of ’SI.” No reason for 
the apparent action of the freshmen could be learned, but Dean Chaun- 
cey S. Boucher issued a caustic statement in which he said: 

“Judgeing from the evidence visible in the form of ‘green paint on 
to ‘C’ bench, some of the men of the freshmen class have not yet 
caught the spirit of this institution. 

“We do our best to treat you like men, students in a university 
f the first rank. We do not want students who expect to be handled 
in the manner of boys in a preparatory school.” 

4. Doctor William Smith landed a fine two-pound black bass at 
Marcellus, Mich., according to a postcard r ceived today by his brother 
Horace. Dr. Smith and his wife are on a motor tour with Mr. and 
Mrs. John Thompson and Mr. and Mrs. Richard jones. 

5. In spite of the rain eighteen nature lovers gathered in Washington 
park last evening to enjoy Mr. Schantz. The group gathered in a 
shelter hose and Mr. Shcantz pointed at adjacent trees and toldsome 
of ther characteristics. There was hardly a tree about which mr. 
Schantz did not have some antidote. 


CHAPTER IV 

i 

Here are some details on the collapse of a row of bleachers at a 
football game. These facts are presented in pairs. Which of the 
two statements in each pair would be more important in your ac¬ 
count of the accident? After you have checked the high lights 
write a lead telling the story. 

Recreation Field is located at the foot of West King avenue. 

The bleachers were filled with 800 spectators. 

The bleachers were built in 1909. 

One section collapsed last season at the Lancaster-Carbondale 
game, but had been repaired and was considered safe. 

The bleachers were built of rough pine by the Lamneck Manu¬ 
facturing Company, 234 North Fourth street, Columbus, Ohio. 

Thirteen students of Lancaster High School, seated in the center 
tier, were badly bruised and shaken up. 


276 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


The bleachers collapsed just after the first quarter. 

John Welsh, a junior, living at 654 State street, received a broken 
left leg, and was taken to Mercy hospital in the city ambulance. 

Henry R. Raymond, principal of the Lancaster High School, 
was cut about the forehead by the shattering of his glasses, 
and received a nervous shock. 

This was the opening game of the football season. 

The elevens represented the Lancaster and Logan High Schools. 

Panic was narrowly averted by the coolness of Bud Harper, 
caretaker at the Gymnasium, who told the spectators in the 
side bleachers to leave their seats quietly. 

The loss will reach $1500, with no insurance. 

The bleachers will be rebuilt immediately. 

The center bleachers sank slowly, without violent ripping or 
wrenching of timbers. 

The bleachers were 80 feet long, and 30 feet high in the rear; the 
center strip 20 feet wide. 

Distracted parents hurried to the scene, following the first news 
of the accident. 

The moving-picture operator was taking a reel of the spectators 
at the time and secured a good film of the bleachers at the 
moment of collapse. 


II 

1. Analyze the thought divisions in two stories clipped from city 
newspapers. Show how each paragraph develops a definite phase 
of the story. 

2. Select five short-sentence leads from newspapers. Tell why 
they are used in particular stories. Recast them so as to increase 
their effectiveness. 

3. Select five long summary-sentence leads from city news¬ 
papers. Is their structure too involved? Why is each used in the 
story cited? 

4. Find examples of leads beginning with a participial clause 
and account for the structure. 

5. Find three newspaper leads in which the who element is 
emphasized. 

6. Find three newspaper leads in which the what element is 
emphasized. 

7. Find three newspaper leads in which the where element is 
emphasized. 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 277 

8. Find three newspaper leads in which the why element is 
emphasized. 

9. Find three newspaper leads in which the how element is em¬ 
phasized. 

10. Find a story developed in chronological order. Tell why 
the story is not begun with the conventional summarizing lead. 

11. Attempt to rewrite a dull lead clipped from a high school 
exchange, so as to give fresh treatment to hidden facts. 

12. Make a compilation of twenty-five leads, indicating how 
many start with the subject of the main verb, how many with a 
clause, how many with a question, how many with inverted forms 
of grammatical structure. 


Here is a grab-bag filled with a diversity, of newspaper leads. 
Some are excellent, some good, others just fair. A few are so poorly 
constructed that they should have been reconstructed. 

Select half a dozen samples from this assortment; tell whether 
they develop the news feature satisfactorily. If they fail to “click,” 
try your skill in rewriting them. In some instances the complete 
story has been printed. 

1. Because of the present interest in flying, aviation was the theme 
of the Lininger Travel club meeting held in 439 after school Wednesday, 
October 10. 

2. A group of thirty hikers, members of the Wanderlust Club, 
undeterred by Saturday’s record temperature of 86 degrees, wandered 
up hill and down dale through five miles of the autumn-tinted Gulph 
Valley in the vicinity of Radnor. 

3. At a private art exhibition now being conducted in the Arts 
and Crafts museum in the French quarter in New Orleans, about 75 
etchings and water colors by S. Chatwood Burton, professor of fine 
arts, will be on exhibit. The exhibition will last two weeks, and will 
contain many pieces by Professor Burton which have won prizes. 

Among the more important pieces on exhibition are, “ Toledo Bridge,” 
an etching which won first prize at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 
“Minneapolis Skyline,” and a group of etchings of scenes in Spain 
both of which won medals at the Minnesota state fair. 

4. “Am I really the youngest freshman girl?” asked Ramona 
Slosburg when told she merited that title. “My brother, Lester, who 
graduated in 1923 was also the youngest freshman, it runs in the family, 

I guess.” This with a laugh and toss of the head. 

5. Carl Deutsch of Hammond, was driving at the rate of 32 miles 
an hour on Sheridan road in Evanston yesterday when Policemen Hagel 


278 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


and Higley arrested him. In the car with him were his wife and their 
All were taken before Magistrate Charles G. Franklin, who asked 

Deutsch to tell his side of the story. T , 

“It was all the baby’s fault,” he asserted. While I was driving 
along quietly he slipped down from his mother s lap and put his han 
on the accelerator. Before I knew what he was doing he had run the 

speed^up^to 32 miles-aid ^ magistratej “I will fine the baby $10.” 

Deutsch had to pay it. „ w ^ 

6 As he was crossing the intersection of West Grand and Edwards, 
going to the polls to register, Mr. Welch, father of the head of the 
social science department, was struck by a truck without lights, and 
knocked to the pavement. He was carried into the fire engine house 
where an ambulance came and took him to a hospital. 

7. One hundred and seventy-five boys, roused by a 15-year-old 
bugler, marched to safety today when fire destroyed the main building 
and dormitory wings of McDonough school, a private school, about 
five miles from Baltimore. The building and its equipment were valued 

at more than $700,000. . ., 

The fire was discovered in the basement at 3:20 a. m. Employes said 
it started in a linen closet in which a small blaze had been extinguished 

the previous morning. „ . - „ T 7 

8. In a weekly contest conducted by the Chicago Daily Journal 
for letters selecting the most important news event mentioned in the 
paper’s “Review of the Week,” fifteen Marshall students won one- 

dollar prizes. , T _ ._ 

Beatrice Myers, Esther Boosoff, Sarah Ziblat, Jean Goldberg, Bea¬ 
trice Gutensky, Harriet Hershfield, Virginia Covitz, Alexander Teitle- 
man, William Riback, June Slakoff, Layle Silbert, Miriam Turovhn, 
Sol Rose, Cynthia Cohen, and Frances Maas wrote the winning letters. 

9. Graham McNamee, noted radio announcer, in a chat with the 
pupils of Jordan junior high school at an auditorium period on Tuesday 
morning, explained and discussed radio announcing, gave a brief review 
of the various sports, and then autographed the memory books of those 
who brought their volumes to him. 

Mr. McNamee, in his speech, stated that athletic contests, especially 
baseball and football, are invaluable in the development of young men. 

10. Jack Ryan, assistant football coach at Northwestern University, 
addressed the Rotarians at the Athletic club yesterday. He is a former 
coach at Marquette and Wisconsin university. He said that apprecia¬ 
tion of football depended on watching individual players, not on keeping 
your eye on the ball all the time. Coach Ryan paid a tribute to Angie 
Backus, Milwaukee, who is playing guard for Wisconsin this year, and 
who gives an exposition of how the game should be played. Black¬ 
board diagrams were shown on how formations have evolved. 

11. Burglars effected an entrance into the Milwaukee Junior Country 
Day school at 308 Prospect avenue last night and broke into 25 lockers, 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 279 

escaping with pupils’ clothing valued at $300. A play “ Soldiers of 
Fortune” was being given in the auditorium, and the robbers took 
advantage of the opportunity to ransack the lockers. They got into the 
locker room through a basement window, according to R. M. Johnson, 
night watchman, who patrolled the halls during the entertainment. 

12. The three day session of the American Racing Pigeon union 
came to a close last night at the Hotel Pfister. One of the interesting 
speeches of the evening was given by Charles F. Hoser, editor of the 
American Racing Pigeon News, who told how a pigeon belonging to 
E. H. Wubbe, Brooklyn, N. Y., had made a trip to Italy and back within 
one month. 


CHAPTER V 

The following stories, gathered for the most part from school 
newspapers, contain many faults, among them: (1) wordiness; 
(2) lack of proper emphasis in the lead; (3) vagueness of phrasing; 
(4) editorial opinions which color the news; (5) overemphasis on 
the trivial. 

Examine all of these specimens critically; then recast each as 
briefly as you can, using special care to make a satisfactory lead. 

1. The Ag. Club held its regular meeting Wednesday night, Octo¬ 
ber 3, in Wilson hall. This was the first program offered by the club 
this year and there was a record breaking attendance of Ag. students 
as well as several faculty members present. Clel Clemmons was the 
student speaker. He told of how cornstalks, a formerly wasted by¬ 
product, were now being used in the manufacture of a large number 
of articles. Among the things he mentioned made from cornstalks were 
rayon, auto tops, paper and other cellulose products. Dr. Kent was 
the next speaker. He began with a short talk on the benefits from the 
Ag. Club and other clubs and organizations on the campus. He then 
turned to the value of the college training in agriculture. He empha¬ 
sized the broadness of the field open to the trained man and spoke of the 
new problems that are constantly coming up for solution. The rest of 
the meeting was taken up by regular business. 

Refreshments were served after the meeting and every one seemed to 
enjoy this part of the program. The members are planning to make 
this a banner year for the Ag. Club and such splendid meetings as the 
last one make the outlook promising to say the least. 

2. Since the choosing of a vocation is one of the most important 
things in a young girl’s life and the Vocational Committee being the 
most important committee of the Girls’ Club, the chairman of that 
committee introduced Miss Shelton, commercial coordinate of the Com¬ 
mercial Department of the Central Building, for the Girls’ Assembly 
held last Friday in the auditorium. She told about the way a girl 


280 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


living three or four generations ago had to marry or hve at home to 
take care of the house. But now a girl may enter the commercial world 
to earn her own living. She gave a bird’s-eye view of the various voca¬ 
tions a girl may follow. There are many opportunities open if only 
the girl would know for what she was best fitted. . 

Phyllis Paulson sang two very beautiful songs. She accompame 

he The Vocational talk was very beneficial and it is hoped that all 
obtained the real value of it. Miss Shelton believes every student m 
high school should begin to think about the kind of work he wis es 

to take f Uf the°New Literary Magazine under the leadership 

of Miss Bordwell met on Tuesday, the 20th of September to formulate 
plans for the year. It was decided that the magazine should feature 
original short-stories, poems, essays, and comments on current rrtererts. 
The following staff was appointed: Editor-in-chief, William IS a 

Kenzie; business manager, Frances Burks; P ubhclty ,.!f en kilHam 
Reynolds; short story editor, Cobum Palmer; essay editor Warn 
Leslie; comments editor, William Brett; poetry editor, Helen Phillips, 

faculty advisor, Miss Bordwell. . , . A , 

This magazine, as will be remembered, made its debut in two issues 
last spring and thereby brought to light much unsuspected talent 
among us. The forthcoming issue will be eagerly awaited to see who s 
who this fall in our literary world. Opportunity will soon be arranged 
for every one in the school to contribute. In the meantime, everybody 
can be thinking of a good name for Paly’s newest baby. Hand m your 
ideas to any of the editors and you stand a chance of christening the 

young hopeful. . , 

Watch the announcements for the first issue of the magazine and 
when the big day arrives don’t forget to bring your nickels! 

4. The hill adjoining Ensign Peak presented a curious spectacle 
last Sunday afternoon. Grouped about on the barren hillside were 
hundreds of people, some sitting, others standing, but sitting or stand¬ 
ing, all eagerly listening to the address being delivered by Dr. Frederick 
Pack. Sketching the story with vividness and dramatic power, he 
told of the geological formations of City Creek Canyon and outlined the 
early history of Lake Bonneville. Because of the outdoor situation, 
the subject was made intensely interesting, Dr. constantly being able 
to point out the subject of his discussion. 

Dr. Pack startled members of his audience by stating that Utah 
contains more natural wonders than any other similar area. As he 
told of the ancient lake which once covered this land he traced the evi¬ 
dences which were left on the mountain sides. Roaming mus '~ox, 
and mammals of gigantic size which correspond to the skeletons found 
in Siberia, were pictured as types of animal lile existing at that time. 

This lecture was the first of a series devised by the Chamber of Com¬ 
merce to ‘sell’ Utah to Utahns. Next Sunday at the mouth of Little 
Cottonwood the second talk will be given. At that time Dr. Pack will 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


281 


delve again into pre-historical facts and will picture this section as an 
ice-clad, glacier-infested region. 

Accommodations will be made for all those attending. No charge 
will be made. The subject will be discussed freely. 

5. One of the prettiest demonstrations that the College has ever 
seen was given by the Battery B of the 82 Field Artillery, from Fort 
Bliss, last Friday, after the Aggie-Miner game. 

Major E. P. Sands sent up the battery and it was under the command 
of Lieutenant Reed. The demonstration began immediately after the 
game. The work was absolutely perfect. 

There were about 600 people out from Las Cruces to see the game and 
drill. The goal on the north side of the field was removed to make room, 
as well as the cars on the east side of the field. 

The battery arrived at State College about noon Thursday and spent 
all that afternoon preparing camp in the alfalfa field in front of the 
Science Hall. The next morning they left the College about eleven and 
went to Las Cruces where they gave a parade. In the afternoon they 
gave their drill on Miller Field and that evening the College gave an 
entertainment for the soldiers. 

The program presented Friday evening was: 1. Selection, College 
Band; 2. Selection, Girls’ Glee Club; 3. Selection, R. O. T. C. Band; 
4. Reading, Miss Balen; 5. Spanish Dance, The Fountains; 6. Violin 
Solo, Mr. Armendariz; 7. Spanish Dance, The Fountains; 8. Baritone 
Solo, Mr. Dean; 9. Spanish Song and Dance, The Fountains; 10. Bari¬ 
tone Solo, Mr. Dean; 11. Spanish Songs and Dances, The Fountains. 

6. One of the worst initiations was gone through here by a blossom¬ 
ing young sophomore when he had to walk Main street Saturday night 
with a tag on him asking people to help the blind and feeble-minded. 
Some people were so affected by the sign that they dropped coins in 
the cup so that now either the frat or the new member is a little wealthier 
than before. With the dark glasses on the disguise was very well effected 
and several of the professors were deceived by the disguise. The only 
trouble with it was that the frat was going in competition with the 
regular line of beggars that line Main street every Saturday night. 
We haven’t heard whether the returns in the cup were great enough to 
warrant the frat repeating it on their next member to come in or not. 
Anyway one has to be a pretty good sport and want to join said frat 
awfully bad to agree to walk Main street pretending to be blind and 
feeble-minded. 

7. In order to discuss the business before the organization, the 
members of the Salesmanship Club met on Wednesday, October 10. 
Don Schloss, president, announced the names of the members of the 
four committees and plans were furthered for the successful launching 
of the Concert-Dance which will be given on October 27 by the Hyde 
Park orchestra for the purpose of adding to the fund for new instruments. 

Richard Samuels willl head the Ticket committee, Martin Wiener, 
the Publicity committee, Leonard Silverman, the Speaking committee, 
and A1 Pliner, the Program committee. In regard to the orchestra dance, 


282 WRITING FOR PRINT 


Don Schloss announced that the Chicago Tribune has taken a picture 
of the orchestra which will appear in the Sunday Metropolitan Sectio 
of that paper. Bill Hahn and his College Crew, a seven-piece orchestra 
the members of which are students at the University of Chicago, wi 
provide the music for the dance which will be held at the Midway 

M Another announcement was made at the close of the meeting to the 
effect that all members who wish to be on the ticket committee must 
go to Room 113 either division period. • . 

8 The cross-country track team started practice last week for the 
city meet to be held on November 10 in Washington Park. About ten 
candidates turned out, but more than that are wanted, and it is still 
not too late to come out. Each school may enter as many men as it 
wants to, so it is only right to presume that every one who turns out for 
the team will be entered. The race is to be run over a two-mile course 
and in order to score any points at all, each school must have at least 

five men finish. , . , 

Hyde Park will have among its entries three lettermen from last year. 
They are Nelson, holder of the city junior 660 record, Cornell, and 
Dickow. “Bob” Hibbard will be unable to compete because of m- 

6 With these men as a nucleus, Hyde Park will have an excellent chance 
to “cop,” if the new candidates can come thru. And remember, you 
Nurmis and Ritolas, the more of you who come out, the better team 


we’ll have. ., __ , , ™ , 

9. Tuesday morning in assembly President Kent presented Cfef 
Clemmons with the Alpha Zeta cup. Clel made the highest average 
of any Freshman Ag. student during last year. 

The Alpha Zeta chapter is planning to give a cup each year to the 
Freshman who made the highest average grades during the preceding 
year. That is, the cup will be presented to the winner at the beginning 
of the Sophomore year. The conditions are that the man must have 
been registered as a Freshman in Agriculture for the entire year and 
must return to the college for the Sophomore year, when the cup will 
be presented. The cup will be engraved with the name of the winner 
and will be placed on display for the remainder of the year. When 
the winner leaves at the end of his Sophomore year, he is privileged to 
take the cup. It then becomes his permanent property. 

The purpose of the gift is to encourage a high standard of scholarship 
from the beginning on the part of agriculture students. The cup was 
won during the year 1927—28 by Clel Clemmons, now a Sophomore in 
Agriculture. Mr. Clemmons registered from Elida, New Mexico. He 
took his high school work in Berryville, Virginia. Mr. Clemmons’ 
average grade for his Freshman year was 88.432. The next highest 
average made by a Freshman last year was 86.095. 

Alpha Zeta is at present the only national Greek letter organization 
on the campus. 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


283 



































































284 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


CHAPTER VI 

You are a reporter for a small town newspaper and are sent out 
by your city editor to cover certain incidents and events. In the 
course of your investigation you take down notes having to do 
with your story. Returning to the office, you begin to sort them 
out preliminary to writing your story. In the following schedules 
check off the fact which seems to you to be the lead. Then arrange 
the other facts in the order of their importance. Write a complete 
story, utilizing only those details which you deem essential to the 
story. 

1. Jack Hight gave a costume dance last night on board the 
“Floater,” a houseboat on Red River. 

Twenty guests were present. 

A small motorboat driven by Philip Matthews struck the 
“Floater” at 9:30. 

Matthews was unhurt. 

Two dancers, Marion Hawkins and Jane Darland, were thrown 
into the water. 

Neither could swim. 

Marion wore a hoop-skirted, old-fashioned costume which 
kept her afloat. 

Jane, dressed in “ flapper style,” was forced to cling to Marion’s 
“hoops” until aid arrived. 

Frank Adams and Arthur Harding, who were on board the 
“ Floater,” were the rescuers. 

2. Officers for the coming year will be elected at the annual 
meeting of the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce Tuesday night. 

Members of the club are invited to bring their wives and make 
the meeting a “Ladies Night.” 

The meeting will be held in the “Crystal Cavern” at the Red 
Hill’s lime plant, five miles north of Clarksville. 

The cavern is nearly one thousand yards square, and has been 
cut from solid limestone in the mountain above the Red Hill 
company’s kilns. 

Frank Gutherie, manager of the plant, will explain the making 
of lime. 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


285 


Workmen who have fired the company’s kilns for thirty-five 
years will speak. 

Dinner will be served by wives of the workmen. 


3. Ernest Mucks, cross-country “wheelbarrow hiker,” arrived in 
Clarksville last night after a 23-mile walk from Winslow. 

Mucks states that he has made two trans-continental “barrow 
trips” and that he is now going from the Great Lakes to the Gulf. 

His goal is New Orleans. # 

There he will attend the Mardi Gras. 

With him is Mickey, his monkey. 

Mickey sometimes walks as much as ten miles a day with his 
master. 

Of late, he has been riding, says Mucks. Mountain roads hurt 
his feet. 

The pair expect to reach their destination within two months. 


4. Gordon Pugh, Ralph Tucker, and James Stefanson went 
hunting yesterday on Lost Loon Lake. 

They killed three ducks. 

In firing the last time, Tucker held his gun so that it recoiled 
heavily. 

The kick tore loose ligaments in his right arm. 

Tucker was taken to the Clarksville hospital, where doctors 
said that the injuries were not serious, but would probably pre¬ 
vent the boy from playing in the game between Cutler university 
and Western Tech. 

Tucker is Cutler’s only available quarterback. 

F. B. Anthony, Cutler coach, stated that Tucker’s loss would 
probably mean a change in lineup which would weaken his team’s 
power. 

Tucker was taken to his home last night. 

Today he had the goose for dinner which he killed yesterday. 


5. Slow growth is better for any government than sudden rise 
to power, Tien Lui told 400 high school students this morning. 

Lui is a representative of the Cantonese government of China. 
“China’s future lies in peace rather than war,” he said. 


286 


WRITING FOR PRINT 

“In this, America’s new-found friendship will be her greatest 
aid.” 

Tien Lui urged the need for air development in both America 
and China. 

By spring Lui said he will have 15 commercial planes operating 
over five routes in the Orient. 

He is president of the Chino-Pacific air company, and is known 
as the Chinese “Lindy.” 

He arrived in Clarksville this morning in a Ryan monoplane, 
“The Spirit of Canton.” 

He will leave for Frankfort in the morning. 

6. Frank Smith, 14, has established a model airplaine “factory.” 

In two months he has sold forty planes to Clarksville school 

boys. 

Two weeks ago Amos Luther, 15, and Stanley Parish, 13, 
started competing factories. 

Smith was said to have made seventy-five dollars on his busi¬ 
ness. 

Parish and Luther challenged Smith to an airship race. 

Yesterday afternoon Smith’s ships more than doubled the dis¬ 
tance set by the planes of his competitors. 

The race was held at the Banks playfield. 

Luther and Parish offered to go into the winner’s factory as 
apprentices. 

When their period of training is over, Smith says he plans to 
take them in as partners. 

7. “It’s almost like being a boy again,” Tom Merton, Clarksville 
golf professional, told the high school student body today. 

“It does me good to see you youngsters again.” 

“Always keep your eye on the ball,” said Merton. “That’s 
your life work, whatever you do.” 

The professional was introduced by C. O. Trumble, principal. 

“Shoot straight all your life,” said Merton. “Drive hard. 
You’ll get there.” 

“And above all, be clean. Live that way.” 

The speaker compared life to an 18-hole golf course. 

“There’s an eighteenth hole,” he said. “But it has an unknown 
hazard.” 



CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


287 


CHAPTER VII 

I 

1. Suggest a series of five stories beginning with the choice of 
play and announcement of cast for one of the following plays or one 
to be given in your school: Penrod by Booth Tarkington, a Shake¬ 
spearian play, a comic opera, Quality Street by James Barrie. 

What kind of pictures should accompany these stories? What 
recognition should you give in the paper to the different depart¬ 
ments and people who worked to make it a success? Try to include 
an appreciative poster story. 

2. Arrange three stories for any one of the following: (a) a 
school carnival, (b) an entertainment by the glee clubs, (c) an 
exhibition, an open night or open house during Education Week. 

3. Should you in your news stories about entertainments mention 
the price of admission? Write an advertisement of an entertain¬ 
ment intended for the city paper. Is it an advantage to mention 
the purpose of the play, that is, for what benefit it is given? 

4. Suppose your school is to give an extensive educational 
exhibit, how should you give it publicity so as to insure its success? 
Remember that names, not exhibits make news. 

5. A noted lecturer is coming to your school or town. You know 
the date. When should publicity begin? How should you get his 
picture? Suggest two precedes. How should you arrange for an 
interview, before or afterward? 


ii 

The Inland Press Association met recently at the Hotel Sherman, 
Chicago. H. F. Harrington, director of the Medill School of 
Journalism of Northwestern University, made one of the addresses. 
In response to a request from a press association, he wrote the fol¬ 
lowing “release” of his remarks. Use this digest to write a brief 
story for the wire. 

'WHAT THE NEWSPAPER DOES FOR CHILDREN 

Unless a newspaper keeps itself young both in its curiosity and 
enthusiasm about life it will die of dry rot. It must keep growing; 
it must always be alert to the significance of the passing events, always 
violently, passionately concerned with what is going on in the world. 


288 


WRITING FOR PRINT 

The newspaper must have the courage of the young crusader and the 
tireless energy of an explorer seeking new heights. 

One of the encouraging signs of the times is that the newspaper 
has followed Mary to school. It is having a share in the education of 
youth. Boys and girls are tremendously interested in the human scene. 
To them the newspaper is a panoramic diary of the world’s life. It 
headlines competition, struggle, achievement, victory, adventure — 
bugle calls to youth. The young overlook defeat and perhaps are not 
so greatly interested in scandal, murder, and crime as are their sensa¬ 
tion-hungry, critical elders. The sports pages are in themselves dedicated 
to the spirit of hard-fought battle and the will to win, with honor to 
one’s self and the team. 

The newspaper is linotyped life and action. It should be used in 
the schools as a living textbook, in connection with more formal litera¬ 
ture to keep children in intimate touch with the modern world. Books 
become stale and out of date; newspapers bring fresh tidings every 
day and keep the mind focused on the interesting events and problems 
told in the present tense. Here is history in the making, applied 
geography, the achievements of science, policies of government, the 
daybook of the home town — all worth study by the boy and girl. 
Let the pupil read the newspaper critically; let the teacher discuss 
current events with him in the classroom. 

Another encouraging sign of the times is the use made of the news¬ 
paper in making vital and purposeful English composition, one of the 
most dismal of classroom subjects as ordinarily taught. Young report¬ 
ers and editors, at work on their own school newspapers are now apply¬ 
ing the rules of grammar and diction learned in the school to the actual 
business of writing for print. They experience the joy of finding their 
work on the printed page where it may be read by their friends. Com¬ 
position ceases to be drudgery, but becomes a practical, invigorating 
adventure. 

I have no desire to glorify the newspaper. It is a public-service 
institution working at top speed, under constant scrutiny, to rush the 
news into print. It is planned by the human mind and put together by 
human hands. It makes mistakes due to carelessness, faulty judgment, 
lapse of memory, as does the hospital, the court of law, the church, the 
school. As a faithful historian it cannot pass by some of the unpleasant 
things of life, since these abnormal happenings are a part of the day’s 
story. The newspaper asks to be read by a man who knows that crime 
and scandal are not the usual rules of life, but the exceptional out¬ 
croppings and hence interesting news. Pupils in the schools may be 
taught how to read the newspaper with discrimination. Why refuse 
the trout because of the bones that annoy us? 

Even the lad who carries the paper to your door every morning is 
receiving an education in the practical affairs of life. He learns the 
importance of punctuality, of performance of duty in all sorts of weather, 
of thorough reliability, of businesslike methods — in themselves a 
valuable preparation for the big job that awaits him as a man. 



CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


289 


CHAPTER VIII 

i 

1* Y° ur supervisor has invited the coach to make a short talk in 
class about an approaching athletic contest. He may also give his 
opinions on sports in general, particularly if he is asked specific 
questions. On the basis of what he says, write a “dope” story, 
comparing the contending teams and making some prophecy on the 
prospect of victory. 

2. Clip from high school papers two or three accounts of athletic 
events. Examine these samples for effective lead sentences, sports 
slang, unsportsmanlike references. Apply the same inquiry to 
stories printed in metropolitan papers. 

3. Write a short “precede” about your own football squad for 
publication in a newspaper representing a rival high school. Let it 
be an honest-to-goodness summary, not circus ballyhoo. 

4. Attend a practice session of some major competitive sport, say 
football or basketball; then write a brief account of what you saw 
and heard. Better consult the coach. 

5. Interview the captain of the girls’ basketball team on the 
prospects for the season. This assignment may also be related to 
hockey, soccer, archery, and the like. Use actual “quotes.” 

6. Condense for the school paper some long story of an athletic 
event as printed in a metropolitan newspaper. 

7. Interview several former stars on various school teams, asking 
them what participation in sports did for them. Quotes and 
pictures. 

8. How should you tabulate the lineup, summaries and box 
scores for publication in your newspaper? How can you be sure 
they are accurate? 

9. Write a color story of the crowds attending the game. It 
may help you if you assume that the person reading your description 
has never seen a football exhibition. 

10. What type of athletic exhibition do you think makes most 
interesting reading? Why? Which demands the most s kil l? 

11. Compile an assortment of paragraph impressions about the 
game, the players, striking plays, actions of spectators. 

12. If you have enough information at hand, draw up a mythical 


290 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


all-high school eleven made up of leading players in your own 
territory. Of course, such an article should come properly at the 

end of the season. ~ , 

13 How does the writing of a baseball story differ from that 
recording football? If possible attend a baseball game and write an 

inning-by-inning account of it. „ , 

14. What features of an athletic event make the best slants lor 
leads? Tabulate kinds of opening sentences employed by sports 
writers on other school sheets. 

15 Explain in detail how some game is played, using diagrams to 
show key positions. Indicate the function of each player, and sum- 
marize some of the most important rules. This discussion may 
take the form of a series of short, informative stories. 

16. Write a letter to the editor commenting on some phase ol a 
recent athletic contest, perhaps the “booing” of the referee. 

17 If you are a boy, attend a girls’ basketball contest, and write 
your’impressions of it. If a girl, write a humorous feature yarn 
about a football game. Both accounts should include a running 
chronicle of what happened. Do not write an editorial. 

18. Start writing a series of short biographical sketches called 

“Who’s Who in--Athletics.” Include the leading 

players; use “quotes,” perhaps pictures. Be careful not to begin 
all the stories with names. Search for some novel feature to put into 
the lead. 

19. How should you encourage the forming of teams representing 
clubs and minor organizations within the school, and what methods 
should you use to give these contests proper publicity? 

20. What are the benefits of athletics as a school enterprise? 
What are its evils? 


n 

Read this football yarn carefully; then rewrite in three hundred 
words and watch your lead. 

Last Wednesday afternoon the students saw our football team in its 
first scrimmage of the year. While there are many rough spots to be 
ironed out, our team as a whole showed power and drive, which, with 
the support of the student body should carry the Aggies through a 

victorious season. . . 

Wednesday’s game did not show any individual stars, but it showed 
the team playing as one machine. Captain Swartz at guard played his 



CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


291 


usual steady game while every other man on the line played a good 
game. In the backfield, Fritz and Limbough did most of the ball 
packing, with Rice and McClernon running excellent interference. 


The Lineup 


Meechem 

L. E. 

Webster 

R. McCorkle 

L. T. 

Stevens 

Capt. Swartz 

L. G. 

Stewart 

Elsass 

C. 

Holman 

Boutz 

R. G. 

Phillips 

B. Boutz 

R. T. 

McSherd 

Mann 

R. E. 

Mount 

Fritz 

F. B. 

Ridley 

McClernon 

L. H. 

Capt. Ryan 

Rice 

R. H. 

Myers 

Limbough 

Q. B. 

Kreigh 


The Game Play by Play 

1st quarter: Aggies kicked off. Artillery returned kick to 30 yard 
line. Ball remained on 30 yard line, Artillery failing to pierce Aggie 
line. Artillery kicked on 4th down and kick was blocked by Aggies, 
McCorkle falling on ball for first touchdown. Try for goal failed. The 
Aggies kicked off. Artillery returned ball to 32 yard line. The Artillery 
gained one yard through line. A long end run failed to gain. Artillery 
kicked and Aggies advanced to Artillery’s 8 yard line, with Fritz pack¬ 
ing the ball. Fritz again took ball, advancing to the 5 yard line. On 
the next play Fritz went over the line for the second touchdown. The 
try for goal was wide. 

The Aggies kicked off and the Artillery returned the ball to their 
23 yard line. On next two plays the Artillery failed to gain. The next 
play the Artillery’s kick was blocked by the Aggies, but they recovered 
the ball. The Artillery kicked again, the ball going only a few yards. 
Limbough ran the ball back to the Artillery’s 25 yard line. Fritz made 
7 yards through the line, the ball now on the Artillery’s 14 yard line. 
Aggies made first down on the 10 yard fine. The Aggies lost the ball 
when an attempted forward pass went over the goal line. Artillery’s 
ball on 20 yard line. Artillery kicked and kick was blocked by Aggies, 
but Artillery recovered. Artillery gained 7 yards and kicked on next 
down. Limbough ran ball to Artillery’s 35 yard line. The Aggies 
fumbled, but recovered ball on Artillery’s 28 yard line. Aggies were 
penalized 5 yards for off side. Limbough made 10 yard run, and again 
took ball for gain of 4 yards, placing ball on 18 yard line. Rice went 
through guard for 7 yards. Limbough gained 6 yards, placing ball on 
5 yard fine. Rice went over for third touchdown. Limbough kicked 
goal. 

The Artillery kicked off, Boutz returning ball to Artillery’s 47 yard 
fine. A trick reverse, Fritz to Rice, gained 3 yards. End of quarter. 
Score Aggies 19, Artillery 0. 


292 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


Second Quarter 

Aggie second string men took the field. Aggies penalized for off side. 
Aggies gained 8 yards on first play and made 5 more to make it first 
down on Artillery’s 24 yard line. Second team went right through 
Artillery’s defense. Kent took ball to 13 yard line. The next two plays 
carried the Aggies over the goal for the fourth touchdown. Summer- 
ford’s try for goal was blocked. 

Aggies kicked off to Artillery, who returned ball to their own 35 
yard line. Artillery failed to gain on the next two plays. On the next 
play the Artillery fumbled, Aggies recovering ball on Artillery’s 34 
yard line. On the first play Aggies were penalized for off side. Again 
Aggies were penalized 5 yards for having only 6 men on the line 20 yards 
to go and first down on Artillery’s 34 yard line. Aggies gained 5 yards. 
Kent made a 20 yard run. End of half. 

Third Quarter 

Artillery kicked off. Fritz ran ball back to 40 yard fine. Fritz 

7 yard gain. Fritz took ball for 18 yard trip. Again Fritz took ball for 

8 yards. Limbough took ball to Artillery’s 1 yard fine and on next 
play went over for the 5th touchdown. Try for goal failed. Aggies 
kicked off. Artillery’s ball on their 35 yard fine. Artillery lost 4 yards. 
No gain on next play. Lost 3 yards on attempted fine plunge. The 
Artillery kicked and Aggies took ball to Artillery’s 30 yard fine. Re¬ 
verse, Fritz to Rice, gained 6 yards. Rice made 8 yard gain. 15 yard 
penalty on Aggies for holding. Warpi gained 10 yards and on next 
play went over for sixth touchdown. Limbough’s try for goal was 
blocked. Aggies kicked off. Artillery fumbled and Aggies recovered 
ball on Artillery’s 26 yard fine. End of third quarter. Score — Aggies 
37, Artillery 0. 

Fourth Quarter 

Aggies gained 10 yards. Forward pass intercepted by Artillery on 
own 8 yard fine. Artillery kicked to their own 30 yard fine. Aggies’ 
ball. Aggies gained 12 yards, and on next play went over for seventh 
touchdown. Attempt for goal failed. 

Artillery kicked off. Aggies’ ball on 40 yard fine. First down. Lim¬ 
bough gained 4 yards on fine play. Aggies gained 2 yards on next two 
plays. Aggies kicked. Artillery took ball on their own 18 yard fine. 
Aggies gained and Hank made long run to Artillery’s 4 yard fine. 
Next play resulted in eighth touchdown. Trial for goal blocked. Artil¬ 
lery kicked off, Aggies receiving ball on 25 yard fine and returning it 
to 40 yard fine. Aggies kicked and the Artillery fumbled behind their 
goal. Aggies recovered ball when out of bounds, resulting in touchback. 
Artillery’s ball on 20 yard fine. No gain. Artillery kicked. End of 
game. Final score: Aggies 51, Artillery 0. 

Score: 667666662 
000000000 

Next Friday the team meets Silver City at the College field Let’s 
see everybody out rooting for the Aggies. 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


293 


CHAPTERS IX AND X 

1. Rewrite the attached news story so as to delay the climax 
until the final paragraph, using human-interest structure and style 
throughout the narrative: 

Speedy, for many years a fire horse in Brooklyn, was rescued from 
drowning this morning with the aid of a policeman, firemen and a block 
and tackle. Speedy had plunged into the Atlantic basin while wander¬ 
ing along the Brooklyn water front in the driving storm that struck 
the city with such ferocity. 

Six years ago Speedy lost his job with the fire department when the 
horse drawn vehicles gave way to motor trucks. Louis De Gianso, an 
ice peddler, bought the old bay fire plug for ten dollars and hitched him 
to his ice wagon. On his twelfth birthday Speedy went blind, but he 
continued to pull the wagon through the familiar streets. As he grew 
older, his pace became slower, and nothing could awaken him except 
a fire engine answering an alarm. 

In the storm of this morning, Speedy’s master deserted him for a 
drier place. In an effort to find some sort of haven from the wind and 
the stinging rain drops, the blind horse fell from the wharf into twenty 
feet of water. A passerby raised the alarm, and in ten minutes a 
thousand men, women and children were crowding the docks. A police 
squad came and set up a block and tackle. But Speedy could not be 
reached. He kept swimming away from the dock. 

Then De Gianso remembered. He whispered to a policeman. Pres¬ 
ently the wail of a siren and the clang of a fire bell were heard. Speedy 
ceased his aimless swimming and came toward the sound of the fire 
wagon. As he nosed the pier a belt was dropped around him and he 
was hoisted to the wharf. 

2. Choose a passage from some book and make a brief news 
story from it. The following have good scenes for such treatment: 
Ivanhoe, Robinson Crusoe, David Copper field, The Prairie, Macbeth, 
Hamlet, Merchant of Venice, Vicar of Wakefield, Treasure Island, 
Kidnapped, Spectator Papers. 

3. Here are some headlines which suggest good human-interest 
stories. Use them as a basis for brief accounts, or let the teacher 
clip others from the newspaper. 

(a) BLINDED LATE IN LIFE, DOCTOR CARRIES ON 
WITH GREATER VIGOR THAN BEFORE 
“ Never Give Up,” Is Slogan of Dr. Chapman, Who Continues 
Hobby of Cultivating Dahlias 


294 WRITING FOR PRINT 

(6) EVICTED FAMILY GIVEN $105 BY KINDLY READ¬ 
ERS 

Silver Lining Becomes Visible in Mrs. Couch’s Cloud of Poverty 

(c) JUST A HOMELY CUR DOG 

But a Boy’s Heart Ached When Somebody Poisoned Buster and 
Motherless Cal Ostby Put Up a Board Monument and Carved 
Some Verses on It in Tribute to His Friend 

(d) DIDN’T EVEN LOSE VOICE 

Texan Wakes to Find Woman Burglar in Room — He Yells and 
She Flees 

(e) FINDS $150 GEM IN TURKEY’S CROP 

F. J. Hardy is Now Glad He Clung to Custom and Didn’t Buy 
Goose 

(/) FORCE TYPIST’S CONFESSION BY SHOWER FROM 
RICE BAG 

Miss Flossie Mildred Oliver Admits “Him” With a Smile and 
a Blush 

(g) GRADUATING BOY NEVER ABSENT 

Thomas N. Crompton Is Tardy Only Once in Eight Years; 
Clock Wrong 

(h) PUPILS MARCH FROM SCHOOL IN SOUTH SIDE 
FIRE 

Two Hundred Children at the Ray Branch Walk to Safety as 
Shop Burns; Blaze Near Hotel 

(i) TOWED BY A WHALE OFF BLOCK ISLAND 
Two Pilots Tell of Being Swished All Over Ocean 

(j) SAYS ALL NEWSPAPERS WILL USE AIRPLANES 
Pilot of Dispatch Fleet Declares Time Will Come When Metro¬ 
politan Organizations Will Make Regular Deliveries in Circula¬ 
tion Area by Air 


4. Write a story about the coldest day of winter, and print it 
on a hot day in May or June, or reverse the process. Bring in some 
ludicrous contrasts. On a cold day in winter, a reporter might 
compile some interesting human-interest interviews on “When were 
you the hottest? ” 

5. Perhaps some one known to the class owns a goat. Where 
do goats come from, what do they cost to raise, and what are some 
of their peculiar traits? Be specific; relate a real incident. 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 295 

6. Let the paper offer a prize for the best garden made by pupils, 
or better still, give a five-dollar gold piece for the best letter from an 
amateur gardener who considers his garden a success. Print a special 
column on school gardens. Bulletins may be secured from the 
Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 

7. It is good fun to try your hand writing a parody in the mood 
and manner of a literary master. Write a description of Christmas 
on your street as Charles Dickens might have done it had he been 
present. First read A Christmas Carol Other subjects may be 
treated in the manner of Charles Lamb, Daniel Defoe, 0. Henry, 
Rudyard Kipling, Robert W. Service, Addison and Steele. Some 
clever parodies are contained in Max Beerbohnfis volume A Christ¬ 
mas Garland. 

8. A series of human-interest tales may be written on “ Haz¬ 
ardous Vocations.” These may include the experiences of the town 
steeplejack, structural-iron workers, painters, roofers, machinists, 
soldiers. 

9. Under a heading “Acorns: The Beginnings of Things,” little 
stories may be run from week to week. These may include such 
topics as the evolution of the printing press, the telephone, wireless 
telegraphy, the automobile, the sleeping car, and the like. Consult 
books of reference. 

10. A series of interesting human-interest paragraphs may be 
prepared on “ Famous Heroes,” one to run every week under a 
standing box head. For instance, biographies may be written of 
Leonidas, William Wallace, Kossuth, Garibaldi, Pershing, Foch, 
Joffre, and those in the common walks of life. 

11. What is the oldest house in town? Write a brief history of it 
and of early settlement days. 

12. Write a brief sketch of some man you know, describing 
minutely his clothing, figure, face, and general bearing. 

13. What pupils in your school trace their ancestry back to the 
Mayflower t Do any of them claim relationship to men who fought 
in the American Revolution or who perhaps signed the Declaration 
of Independence? 

14. Write a series of articles on little-known places around the 
school, illustrating each story with a snapshot photograph. Sug¬ 
gestions: the heating plant, cafeteria kitchen, the janitor’s room. 

15. How many students were born in foreign countries? Make 


296 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


a list, and interview them on how they like America. What custom 
surprised them most in the United States? 

16. Write a description of a sample day in the life of the Principal, 
the mayor of the city, a pastor of a local church. 

17. What are some of the jobs undertaken by students after 
school hours to help pay expenses? Interviews and pictures will 
add a good deal. 

18. Do any of the Hi-Y and Girl Reserves engage in settlement 
work? What conditions of life do they find as they visit the homes 
of the poor? A personal experience story here. 

19. Look up some old photographs at home, especially those when 
Father and Mother were going to school. Then write a story on 
how styles have changed since those distant days. Interviews will 
help brighten the article, perhaps a picture. 

20. Write a confession story on your most embarrassing moment. 
Your greatest thrill, your greatest ambition. 

21. Outline for descriptive story: A visit to the winter quarters 
of Barnum, Bailey and Ringling Brothers circus at LaPorte, 
Indiana. (Three hundred words.) 

Railroad sidings — with special flatcars and Pullman coaches. Small 
bungalows for trainers and performers. 

Series of buildings — one where show wagons are being repaired and 
painted for the summer. Another for the horses — where they are kept 
in the best of condition. Another for the wild animals. 

Elephant house — in charge of Ed Duncan, trainer, who has been 
with the show for 28 years and used to drive animal wagons on overland 
trips. Short, swarthy, and explosive man. 

Small elephants — and large elephants, 22 in all, in their pens. 

Setting — glaring spotlights — great sheets of sheet metal beaten by 
huge hammers in order to get elephants accustomed to noise and con¬ 
fusion of the arena. Tin cans tied to their feet. 

The training ring - — Ed Duncan tells how he trains elephants. Starts 
them young. Takes two years to train elephant and tiger act, balancing 
on wooden ball. Elephant first led up a platform same height as ball — 1 
then on to the ball. Cleats are removed so that ball rolls a bit; then 
carrots are extended by the trainer and elephant week by week learns 
to keep her feet on the moving ball. In the meantime the tiger has 
been fastened to elephant’s back daily, the broad back of elephant 
protected by a huge cushion. 

Elephants perform in the band — and, after the circus, pull up tent 
stakes. Most interesting of all animals to spectators. Disposition 
the important thing — also aggressiveness. Lions are the most treach¬ 
erous. Show season begins in the South in March. 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


297 


CHAPTER XI 

1. Study the structure of the following sentences, culled from 
newspapers and periodicals. Look up the definition of a simple, 
a complex, and a compound sentence; a loose, periodic, and balanced 
construction; then find examples of them in the excerpts printed 
herewith. Discuss the reasons that probably prompted the writers 
to frame the sentences under discussion. 

(a) We shall tell no lies about persons or policies for love, malice 
or money. It is no part of a newspaper’s business to array itself on the 
side of this or that party, or fight, lie or wrangle for it. The newspaper 
should simply present all the facts the editor is capable of obtaining 
concerning men and measures before the bar of the public, and then, 
after having discharged its duty as a witness, be satisfied to leave the 
jury in the case — the public — to find a verdict! 

(i b ) Down the sandy stretch which led to the brink of the water came 
one of the farm horses. Splashing into the shallows, he stooped his 
head and drank, the white blaze on his forehead faithfully reflected in 
the still surface. The quietude of evening was over all, not a leaf 
stirred; but at the edge of the water were still green reflections, while 
the shadow of the barn seemed to reach stupendous proportions in the 
placid mirror before it. Gradually everything took on the rosy light 
of the sunset, then paled and faded. Moths flitted silently across the 
still blueness, which grew ever deeper and more intense, till the stars 
seemed to glow through a sapphire veil, pin-points of light in the silent 
immensity of the heavens. The night had come. 

(c) Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces up, snow is 
exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather — only 
different kinds of good weather. 

(i d ) Four flights up, four steps to the right, one knock on the right- 
hand door and you enter three tiny rooms that make a home for a 
happy family of three. Three tiny rooms. Musty. Crowded. Low 
ceiling. Small cracks in the ceiling. Four windows. Near the kitchen 
window is a small square table, covered with a new white cloth. 

(e) Most editorials that I have read, especially in school magazines, 
are highly moralistic. All aim to spur their readers on to the path of 
virtue, rectitude, and self-satisfied righteousness. A ‘burning message’ 
is conveyed through their columns to aid less gifted fellow beings. 
Sometimes instead of preachy prose we have inane descriptive or di¬ 
dactic accounts of what every one already knows or is not at all inter¬ 
ested in. 

2. Bring to class examples of well-wrought figures of speech 
taken from newspapers. 

3. Name and discuss the following figures of speech: 


298 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


(а) The Democrats have a dark horse for mayor. 

(б) Chicago’s great poet has truly been a mighty rivet holding to¬ 
gether the giant beams in the skyscraper of modern poetry. 

(c) January is a month of moods. Sometimes, when a warm breeze 
blows from the southwest it is like a happy-go-lucky child, breathing 
a song of spring. But on days when the sky is a gray, heavy-laden 
blanket overhead, and the earth is covered with what once was white 
snow, and now is grimy slush, and when a cold penetrating wind blows 
from the north, January hides her smiling face and the world and our 
hearts are dark. 

(d) The “Illyria,” a sturdy brigantine-rigged vessel, resplendent in 
new paint and white sails that flutter like birds in a driving wind, will 
leave the port of Boston in the middle of November on an expedition 
which is expected to add another chapter to the data now available 
on marine creatures — birds, mammals and reptiles of the Pacific 
Ocean. 

(e) War is a movie show, jammed to the door with people, who rise, 
and sing the “Star-Spangled Banner,” and say “Amen” to prayers 
for their boys; with people who cheer a flickering banner, and hiss the 
image of a spiked helmet. 

(/) Huge ships churn the waters of the lake, hundreds of trains 
move to and from the city, thousands of vehicles with no horses drawing 
them throng the highways, and airplanes zoom through the sky. 

4. Bring to class descriptive newspaper clippings which sug¬ 
gest sound. 

5. Do the same for color and motion. 

6. What impression does the accompanying poem by Carl 
Sandburg give you? 

Passing thru ugly and huddled walls 
By doorways where women 
Looked from their hunger-deep eyes, 

Haunted with shadows of hunger-hands 
Out from the huddled and ugly ways, 

I came suddenly at the city’s edge, 

On a blue burst of lake, 

Long lake waves breaking under the sun 
On a spray-flung curve of shore; 

And a fluttering storm of gulls, 

Masses of great grey wings 

And flying white bellies 

Veering and wheeling free in the open. 

7. Choose words and phrases that adequately describe: (a) the 
sound of a foghorn on a stormy night, (6) a newspaper office one 
hour before press time, (c) a freight train going up a steep grade. 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


299 

8. Try putting some of your impressions and moods into free 
verse. Here is a sample from Progress, East Side Evening Night 
School, New York, that shows what can be done with a fugitive 
fancy: 

DAWN ON SECOND AVENUE 

Night with a flash of stars; 

Cars rattle onward; 

Small heels click on the walk, 

Brave talk flaunts skyward — 

Gay, careless words. 

Alley cats yowl; 

Beyond the street, 

Lamp glow touches shadow, 

Where fevered lips meet, 

Neath a black archway. 

Slow tramp of hoofs, 

The milkman goes by; 

Glimmers of light in the east; 

A long deep sigh, 

From the archway. 

A waking pigeon calls to his mate; 

Light jags the horizon in flares; 

Dim forms rustle away thru the dusk; 

The shuffle of tired feet upstairs: 

Dawn is breaking. 

— R.W. Howard 

9. Consult the dictionary for the derivation and history of 
the following words: cemetery, pillage, rifle, serenade, ransack, 
boycott, booty, depredation, tariff, tribulation, spider, gingham, suppli¬ 
ant, dandelion, liberty, mob, handkerchief, curfew, ordeal, paper. 

10. Apply these words correctly to four different persons: capable, 
able, competent, enterprising. 

11. Apply these words to a water supply: sufficient, adequate, 
abundant, ample. 

12. What is a synonym? What is the value in knowing 
synonyms? 

13. Read Palmer’s Self-Cultivation in English (Houghton Mifflin), 
and make an outline of suggestions designed to enlarge your vo¬ 
cabulary. 

14. Be prepared for oral discussion on the following topics: 


300 WRITING FOR PRINT 

(a) The usage of the newspaper is in no way a guide to the 
standing of a word. 

( b ) Much slang, not all, is disreputable. 

(c) The dictionary is a home for living words, a hospital for the 
dying, and a cemetery for the dead. 

( d ) Slang is the great feeder of language. 

(e) The newspaper has the opportunity to mold the world’s 
vocabulary. 

15. What is the exact meaning of the following words: moccasin, 
ace, camouflage, racketeer, slacker, bamboozle, regiment, quarterbackf 

16. Point out image words in the following poem, both nouns 
and adjectives. Identify figures of speech, sound words, motion 
words. 

A CENTURY AGO 

Beside the road in Harley town 

There stands an ancient Blacksmith’s Shop, 

Whose walls and roofs are dark and low, 

With chimneys peeping o’er the top; 

Some two or three on either side, 

But only one with fire supplied, 

Which puffs its smoky volumes high, 

In dusky wreaths along the sky. 

Harrows, and wains with splintered shafts, 

And broken wheels, are standing round; 

And molten coals and cinders lie 

In scattered heaps along the ground; 

And in the yard, beside the door, 

You see the square old tireing-floor, 

With grass, and weeds, and waving sedge 
Bent down around its blackened edge. . . . 

The forge is in a little nook, 

Before the chimney slant and wide; 

And, in a leather apron clad, 

You see the helper by its side; 

Nodding his head and paper crown, 

He moves the handle up and down, 

Beneath his arm, with motion slow, 

And makes the rattling bellows blow. 

Hard by, the blacksmith folds his arms, 

And swells their knotted sinews strong; 

Or turns his iron in the fire, 

And rakes the coals, and hums a song: 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


301 


But when his heat throws out its light, 

He hurries to the anvil bright, 

And sledges fall with deafening sound, 

And sparks are flying thick around. 

— Richard Henry Stoddard 

17. Point at the distinction in meaning between the following 
word pairs: liable, likely; short, concise; pretty, nice; theatrical, 
dramatic; funny, humorous; illicit, illegal; publicity, advertising; 
book, treatise; magazine, periodical; wreck (verb), dismantle; occur, 
take place; forgive, pardon; fix, mend; porch, portico; carbon, coal; 
thought, expression; injure, maim; kill, murder; flag, bunting; 
poultry, chickens. 

18. Write a brief description of a collision between an auto¬ 
mobile and a street car, using technical words suggested by both. 

19. Write a brief description of a circus parade, using words 
picturing people, wagons, incidents, street venders. 

20. Set down words that describe the parts of an automobile. 

21. Make a list of words connected with organs of the body, as: 
hearty, white-livered, stiff-jointed, well-heeled. 

22. How many of these words and groups of words can you 
define: Othello, William Tell, Will o’ the Wisp, herculean labors, 
Levant, Golden Horn, Renaissance, three R’s, Fourth Estate, Lake 
Poets, Peter the Hermit, Old Hickory, Colonel Bogie, sour-grapes, 
Cassandra, divine right of kings, Prince of Peace, Shelley, Sancho 
Panza, Florence Nightingale, crossing the Rubicon, Great Divide, 
Jeanne d’Arc, Dante, Gretna Green, Sir Walter Raleigh, pharisaic, 
Philistine, sop to Cerberus, Lotus Eaters, Terpsichore, cynic, Mrs. 
Grundy, John Barleycorn, Mrs. Harris, Jupiter, Alfred Jingle. 

23. What is the rank of the army officer who commands a 
company? 

24. Make a chart of newspaper headlines that use (a) strong, 
specific words, ( b ) figures of speech, (c) slang, (d) classical expres¬ 
sions, (e) literary allusions. Summarize your conclusions about 
newspaper English 

25. Study the literary style of some parable in the New Testa¬ 
ment. Are the words hard to understand? 


302 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


CHAPTER XII 

i 

1. Examine any four high school papers, and note the subjects 
for editorials. Are they inspired by the class work, outside reading, 
news of the outside world, or are they concerned with the ethics of 
school life, fair play, honesty, and the like? On the whole, do you 
find them thoughtful, sparkling, dull, commonplace, scolding, or 
preachy? 

2. If the editorial is a news editorial following some story cur¬ 
rent in the school or outside world, does it have a structure? Does 
it state a fact? Discuss it intelligently, and then suggest a remedy. 
If you find one of definite structure, please bring it for discus¬ 
sion. 

3. Are the editorials in your paper written by the editor, an 
editorial board, or any member of the staff? Do you ever print a 
composite editorial? Has it any advantage? 

4. Suggest headings for the following general departments 
on the editorial page. Poetry, library, personals about students, 
science, jokes. What makeup would make these departments stand 
out? 

5. If you consider the school paper narrow and self-centered, 
suggest a column for the editorial page to clear it of this criticism. 

6. Do you note any use of the paragraph instead of the formal 
editorial? 

7. What place would you accord the principal of the school on 
the editorial page? What do you think is gained by this kind of 
caption “Our Principal Says”? 

8. Do you find among the exchanges any suggestions for wel¬ 
coming incoming students or saying good-by to outgoing ones? 

9. The editorial page provides a place for the column conductor 
and the cartoonist. Do the cartoons enforce a lesson or are they on 
the order of the comic strip? What suggestions can you make for 
little sketches for this page or for bright columns? 

10. Note the column division of the editorial page in those papers 
having five and seven columns. What is the advantage of this? 

11. Write an editorial platform which may be printed under the 
masthead of your school paper. 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


303 


II 

Here is a compilation of opinions on a variety of topics. Use each 
as a self-starter to get your own mental engine under way. No more 
than one hundred words on each excerpt — and make your editorial 
comment clean-cut and honest. If you do not like any of these, 
lift some sample from your own reading, and let us have an edi¬ 
torial using it as a text. 

1. The great epidemic of flag-pole sitting, marathon dancing, and 
wholesale pie-eating is really a struggle of otherwise ill-equipped individ¬ 
uals against having their frail little egos buried forever in the socialized 
and standardized age of machines. It is the last stand of the person 
who can’t endure going down into the anonymous mass, and yet who 
has no way of staying out of it except by doing appalling feats with 
his legs, nerves or stomach. Since there is every indication that life 
will become more and more standardized, we face a prospect of con¬ 
tests in the future dreadful enough to shiver our timbers. — Elsie 
McCormick 

2. Mankind is now just an infant a few months old at the most, 
who up until but a minute ago has been lying in his crib, shaking his 
rattle. — Dr. Robert A. Milliken 

3. If Harvard and Columbia have not, at the moment, professors 
of shingle bobbing and facial massage they soon will. — Elmer Davis 

4. The days in which we live are shot through with the spirit of 
haste. Every one is in a hurry. The man of the hour is the man out 
of breath. . . . Half of the people you meet are just in the act of 
leaving something else which in turn will be left half done. All the 
more need, then, that every restless, inefficient soul should learn the 
meaning of that great word of the Lord: “In quietness and confidence 
shall be my strength. ” — Charles R. Brown 

5. Let us not be unmindful of the fact that during the high school 
course nothing is of greater importance than the work of the classroom. 
A continuous faithful performance of duty, following out the assign¬ 
ment and work of the class, takes precedence over every other school 
activity. It is wonderful to enjoy a football game and quite wonderful 
to participate in other forms of school activity, but this does not com¬ 
pare in real value to the main purpose at hand: namely, well prepared 
lessons and a keen, prompt, accurate, skillful response to assignments. 

— G. A. Morris, Principal Roosevelt High School, Dayton, Ohio 

6. I believe that editors should be given leave of absence for at 
least three months out of every year, with salary and expenses, to 
travel and gather background and bigness for their publications. 

— Edward Mott Woolley 

7. The right of a newspaper to attract and hold readers is restricted 
by nothing but considerations of public welfare. The use a newspaper 
makes of the share of public attention it gains serves to determine its 


304 


WRITING FOR PRINT 


sense of responsibility, which it shares with every member of its staff. 
A journalist who uses his power for any selfish or unworthy purpose is 
faithless to a high trust. — American Society of Newspaper 
Editors 

8. Let us try to strike the moral balance. For war, its voluntary 
sacrifices; against war, its hates, now perpetuated to last through 
decades and even centuries of peace, its ethical confusion which results 
in the atrophy of common honesties, decencies, and purities; and finally 
its subtle corruption of a whole rising generation. Where, now, stands 
the balance? — Will Irwin 

9. The honor system is not applied as a general thing in high schools. 
Not until one has reached the maturity of a college student is he left 
to do work under no supervision and to hand it in accompanied by the 
usual “word of honor.” 

However, that is only making a concrete definition of honor system. 
Life from the very beginning is based on this plan, and nowhere is it 
more evident than in high school. In some cases one is responsible to 
his companions and faculty as to whether he carries it out faithfully 
or not, but more often to himself alone. — Bulletin, Central High School, 
Washington, D. C. 

10. The American college system is unnaturally prolonging the 
adolescent period of our youth. The universities are full of twenty-four- 
year-old playboys. Their grandfathers at twenty-one had families to 
clothe and feed. They at twenty-four are worried about snap courses, 
dates, and will old Harvard win the game! If they go on, as many of 
them will, to graduate and professional schools, they will be nearing 
thirty before they begin to support themselves. — Philip Burke 
in Columbia 


CHAPTER XIII 

1. Find one advertisement each, of a railroad or steamship 
company, a travel bureau, a correspondence school, an investment 
company, or bank. What historical and literary allusions do you 
note? What figures of speech are used? What is the appeal in 
each? Write a radio ad using a historical illusion. 

2. Write an advertisement for a certain bank. Induce readers 
to put money in a bank instead of hoarding it. How was money 
kept in the old days? Direct an ad to boys and girls persuading 
them to save money in their youth. 

3. In your geography class, you have studied a country you 
would like to see. Write an ad for a travel bureau conducting a tour 
there. Select one unusual feature of this country’s scenery or life 
and build your ad around that feature. 


CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS 


305 


4. Try writing an ad in verse form for your favorite food. 

5. Induce the father of a family to buy for his home and chil¬ 
dren a certain set of books (name them); a piano; a radio; or to 
have his life insured for the children’s education and protection. 

6. Write an ad designed to attract the attention of a Boy or 
Girl Scout to some desirable article or product for his or her use. 
The dialogue form attracts readers. 

7. Suppose you had, and you probably have in your paper, some 
ads such as the following. Write a headline or attention line for 
each one, using some verb for action, or some picture for the eye, 
instead of the merchant’s name. Make it apply to high school 
students. 

(a) F. C. Case, Druggist. Prescriptions carefully compounded. 

( b ) Brown Bros., Clothiers and Haberdashers. 

(c) A. C. Stephens, Florist. 

0 d ) Buy Baked Goods of Mrs. Anna Frey. Her shop is just across 
the street from the school. 

( e ) Jewelry M. C. Irvine. 

(/) Compliments of a Friend. 

(g) Cordially yours, Reverend Charles White, Pastor of Hillcrest 
M. E. Church. 

( h ) John A. Green, Dealer in Hardware. 

Ads follow the seasons as does news. Make ads (c) and (d) seasonable, 
say for Christmas and Easter. 

8. Find in four current advertisements examples of the follow¬ 
ing type of headlines: 

( a ) Declarative sentence which gives selling point of the product; 

( b ) one word headline that shows imagination; (c) headline in 
form of a question; ( d ) headline in form of testimonial; (e) long 
headline which is easy to grasp because of its few word groups. 

9. Write the headlines for a local bank which will arrest atten¬ 
tion of readers interested in savings. 

10. Select an advertisement in which unusual words appear. 
Underline the words which you consider unusual. Replace the 
underlined words with simpler words. Have you improved the 
copy? Have you changed the meaning? 

11. Write an ad for a fountain pen. When it is completed, put it 
away for a day. Then get it out and revise it to improve its con¬ 
struction. Notice how many changes occur to you when you read 
your copy after it has become “cold.” 


INDEX 


Abbreviations, rules for, 254 
Adams, Selden Carlyle, 86 
Ad style type, 208 
Advertisements, analysis of, 20; ar¬ 
rangement of, 73; arousing atten¬ 
tion in, 217; as motivated 
English composition, 215; as 
news, 216; example of, 20; head¬ 
lines and sentences for, 218; hu¬ 
man approach in, 216; literary 
craftsmanship in, 219; lure of, 
215; photographs showing de¬ 
velopment of, 220, 221, 223; 

preparing an, 222; readings on, 
225; small, 233 

Advertising, checking, 229; con¬ 
tract, 232; keeping records, 234; 
rate card, 228, 229; reading list, 
243; records, 231, 232, 235; serv¬ 
ice, 232 

Alaska, visit to, news story, 56 
All-American Newspaper Team, 21 
Alumni, as news source, 61, 80 
Anniversaries as source of feature 
stories, 143 

Annual, as news source, 61; recom¬ 
mendations for, 247 
Antique type, 209 
Apostrophe, rules for use, 260 
Art classes as news source, 80 
“As We See It,” advertising column, 
234 

Assemblies, as news source, 62 
Assignment blank, example, 33 
Assignment book, purpose, 25 
Assignment sheet, model, 37 
Associated Press story, 6 
Athletic department, as news source, 
62 

Athletics and the home, as news 
source, 84 
Ator, Joseph, 133 
“Aunt Priscilla Says,” story, 11 
Austin Times, dummy, 168; front 
page in type, 169 
Authors Roman type, 208 


“Back to Socrates,” vox populi 
letter, 14 
Ball, Harriet, 202 
Barney, Hazel, 139 
Barnhardt Brothers and Spindler, 
exhibits from, 42, 173, 206 
Baseball story, example, 129 
Basketball story, example, 129 
Bastian, George C., 45, 96 
Bates, Blanche, story, 115 
“Between You’n Me” column, 202 
Black and Gold, Cleveland Heights, 
Ohio, High School, news interview 
from, 114 

Bleyer, Willard G., 215 
Bodoni type, 209 

Body of the story, definition of, 6; 
example, 6 

Books, as source of feature material, 
145 

Booster organization, as news 
source, 62 

Boxed head, example, 157 
Boys’ rest room, as news source, 62 
Bridges, Robert, quotation, 185 
Bright, Sam, news story, 100 
Budd, Charles, story of house, 136 
Bulletin newspaper, as type of 
school publication, 245 
Bullfight, story, 131 
Burroughs, John, 113 
Business management of school 
newspaper, budget system, 241; 
solicitors for, 243; staff organiza¬ 
tion, 226 

Business manager of school news¬ 
paper, duties, 227; solicitors for, 
227 

Butter, advertisement, 20 
By-line stories, examples, 133, 135, 
136, 138, 139, 142, 144, 145; ma¬ 
terial for, 131, 134, 145, 146 

Capitalization, rules, 253 
Carson Pirie Scott and Company, 
advertisement, 220, 221, 223 


306 


INDEX 


307 


Caslon black type, 208 
“Cavaliera Rustycanna,” a poem, 
202 

Central Bulletin , editorial masthead, 
29 

Central Bulletin , Washington, D. C., 
feature story, 135 

Central High News, Minneapolis, 
“ Sport Sparks ” from, 127 
Central High Record, Sioux City, 
Iowa, sports story, 124 
Central Outlook, Central High School, 
Columbus, Ohio, sports story, 128 
Century Bold type, 209 
Chaffee, Mildred, 137 
“Chats on Feature Writing,” refer¬ 
ence to, H. F. Harrington, 148 
Chatterbox, George Washington High 
School, Danville,Virginia, story,95 
Cheltenham type, example, 154,155, 
209 

Chicago Daily News, photograph 
from, 174; humorous column, 201 
Chicago Evening Post, feature story, 
133 

Chicago Tribune, editorial from, 13; 
story, 78 

“Children make round world tour,” 
story, 10 

Christian Science Monitor, story, 11 
City editor, duties, 25 
City room, description, 26 
Civic interests, as news source, 84 
Class work as news source, 62 
Classes, list for use in paper, 80; 

value for school paper, 79 
Cloister type, 209 

Clubs, as news source, 62; news of, 
77; sample stories on, 90; value 
to school paper, 77 
Colon, rules for use, 258 
Column of observations, 50 
Combination assignment and copy- 
reading sheet, specimen blank, 37 
Comma, rules for use, 257 
Community, entertainments as news 
source, 84; news, 62; tie-ups, 85 
Commuters’ school, story, 184 
Concerts and contests, as news 
source, 62 

Confession story, analysis of, 141; 
example, 142 

Constructive interviews, value as 
news, 85 


Copy, clean, importance, 59; esti¬ 
mating copy and type, 161; sample 
page of, 60 

Copy-desk practice, 252 
Copy reader, marks of, 151, 152; 
work, 150 

Copy-reading sheet, 37 
Copy table, specifications for mak¬ 
ing, 39; use, 38 
Corbin, Charles R., 45 
County consolidated school paper or 
magazine, 246 

Criterion, Bridgeport, Connecticut, 
by-line story, 137 

Critical review, analysis, 19; ex¬ 
ample, 19 

Cruikshank, Mary, 30 
Custis, George Washington Parke, 
letter to, 1 

Daily Northwestern, budget system 
of, 242; stories, 56, 142 
Damage, as news source, 62 
Dash, example of use, 156; rules 
for use, 259 

Dean’s office, as news source, 62 
Debating team, as news source, 62 
Deck, example, 156 
Detroit News, story, 179 
Dewey, John, quotation, 83 
Direct quotation as lead, 72 
Diversified editorial menu, photo¬ 
graph, 190 

Dixon, Edythe L., 142 
“Do You Know,” column, 50 
“Doctor Dingbatz Discusses Gab- 
belaria,” editorial column, 200 
Dog’s funeral, story, 133 
Don Marquis, poem, 183 
Dope story, example, 122 
Drama department, as news source, 
62 

Dramatic class, as news source, 80 
Drop-line, example, 156 
Dummy, of the front page, 168; 
preparing the, 167 

E Weekly, Englewood High School, 
Chicago, 50, 61, 90 
Editing the Day's News, George C. 
Bastian, 45, 96 

Editor, choosing the, 27; work, 26 
Editorial, analysis, 12, 194; cam¬ 
paign, 203; constructive type, 


308 


INDEX 


197; definition, 192; elements, 
194; examples, 12, 194, 195, 196, 
197, 198; in form of informal 
essay, 198; local application, 195; 
news peg, 195; purpose, 193; sug¬ 
gestions, 204 

Editorial page, examples, 190, 191; 
platform, 191 

“Editorial Paragraphs,” quotation, 
193 

Editorial spokesman, example, 199; 
use, 199 

“Efficient School Teaches,” a com¬ 
pilation, 80 

Elementary school newspaper, 245 
Emphatic statement, as lead, 72 
Engineers and janitors, as news 
source, 62 

English class, as news source, 81 
Entertainments, precede story, 105; 
presentation in school paper, 104; 
sidelights, 108; story, 105 
Essay, casual, analysis, 13; example, 
13 

Essentials in Journalism, by Har¬ 
rington and Frankenberg, 96 
Evans, W. A., 78 

Exchanges, as source of feature 
material, 45 

Experiments close at hand, 47 
Extemporaneous speaking, as news 
source, 62 

Faculty, as news source, 62 
“Feats of Magician Amuse Big 
Crowd,” story, 107 
Feature, emphasizing the, 68 
Feature story, analysis, 9; defined, 
148; examples, 10, 133, 135, 136, 
138, 145; sources, 143, 145, 

146 

Fedorovna, Marie, story, 135 
Field, Eugene, 200 
Figures of speech, example, 185 
Figures, rules for use, 255 
Flaubert, Gustave, quotation from, 
184 

Football, advance dope story, 122; 
example, 122; faults in stories, 
121; lead sentences for story, 125; 
schedule, 120; technique, 124; 
writing impressions, 127 
Front page in type, illustration, 135 
Furst, H. D., 247 


Garamond italic type, 209 
Getting and Writing News, Dix Har¬ 
wood, 96 

Getting out a real newspaper, photo¬ 
graph, 42 

“Goebel Sets New Record in Flight 
Across Country,” news story, 6 
Golden text or keynote lead, 72 
Goodrich, Charles R., news story, 69 
Gothic type, 208, 209 
Graduation, as news source, 63 

Halftones, explanation, 175 
Halftone picture that tells a story, 
photograph, 174 
Handbook for schools, 250 
Hanging indention, example, 157 
Harrington, H. F., Chats on Feature 
Writing, 148 

Harrington and Frankenberg, Essen¬ 
tials in Journalism, 96 
Harrington and Harrington, The 
Newspaper Club, 21 
Harrison, James R., 129 
Harwood, Dix, Getting and Writing 
News, 96 

Headlines, analysis, 156; as type of 
composition, 4; count, 154; 

counting units, 160; desk rules, 
160; examples, 4, 5, 6, 156, 157, 
158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 164, 165; 
faults, 164; purpose, 151; second¬ 
ary streamer, 155; stagger, 156; 
standardized chart, 153; streamer, 
154; terminology, 156; to match 
stories, 159; top, 155; two- 
column, 157 

Henry, John, “Editorial Para¬ 
graph,” 193 

High News, Lakewood, Ohio, adver¬ 
tisement, 233 

High school papers, list, 23 
Hi-Y club, entertainment, 104 
Hobby horse, story, 8 
“Hogging the Scenery,” editorial, 12 
Holidays, as source of feature stories, 
143 

Holt, Hamilton, vox populi letter, 15 
Holtonian, Senior High School, Hol¬ 
ton, Kansas, advertising check, 
230, 231; basketball story, 130 
Home economics, as news source, 
81 

“Home Room Pins Bought; Parties 


INDEX 


309 


Held,” method of compiling brev¬ 
ities, 49 

Home and community, relation to 
school newspaper, 83 
Hornaday, W. T., 19 
How proof is read, example, 173 
‘‘How to Keep Well,” column, 78 
Human-interest story, classification, 
8; example, 8 

Humorous column, examples, 202 
Hyphen, rules for use, 259 

Illinois Bell Telephone Company, 
visit to, 138 

Illustrations, use in school news, 83 
“I’m the Boob,” editorial, 200 
Informal essay, as editorial, 198 
Informal tone in lead, 73 
Interesting people, as source of 
feature material, 146 
Interviews, captions, 85; construc¬ 
tive, 85; elements, 112; feature, 
116; framing the news, 114; 
thumb-nail, 113 

Inverted pyramid, example, 156 
Inviting front page, illustration, 170 
Ionic condensed type, 209 
Irving, Washington, 132 

‘‘Jack Reigns Again,” editorial, 196 
‘‘Join an Activity,” editorial, 197 
Jones, Will Owen, letter by, 2 

Keynote lead, 72 
Kingsley, Charles, 183 
Kipling, Rudyard, 48 
Kiser, S. E., 201 

Laboratories, as news source, 81 
Lampe, F. C., 206 
Latin class, as news source, 82 
Lead, action in, 71; analyzed, 69; 
definition, 6; example, 6, 14; 
freak, 74; five questions in, 68; 
qualities, 2; suiting to story, 70; 
variety, 52; varieties, 68, 72; 
weak, 74 

Lehman, O. S., interview with, 14 
‘‘Let’s Dress ’Em Alike,” editorial, 
195 

Letters to editor, example, 14; place 
in newspaper, 14; use, 203 
Lever , Colorado Springs High School, 
story, 199 


Library, as news source, 63 
Lincoln Log, Lincoln High School, 
Cleveland, stories, 92, 141; edi¬ 
torial page, 190 

Line engravings, explanation, 175 
Linotype machine, description, 212; 

photograph, 213 
Lion fight, story, 179 
Little Dodger, Fort Dodge, Iowa, 
selection of staff, 30 
Long, W. E., and Company, 222 
Longwood Ledger , Cleveland, Ohio, 
brevities, 49; picture of editorial 
page, 191 

Lyons, Alberta, 116 

Machine that is almost human, illus¬ 
tration, 19 

Magazine, as source of feature ma¬ 
terial, 145 

Mail, Jack, poem, 19 
Makeup examples, 168, 169, 170 
Making up the paper, 166; ways. 
167 

Manual training and shop, as news 
source, 82 

Manual Training High School, Kan¬ 
sas City, Missouri, schedule for 
publishing school paper, 32 
Manuscript, preparation, 58 
Margarets, story, 137 
Mario, entertainment, 104 
Marshall News, Marshall High 
School, subscription card, 239 
Martin, Lawrence, 176 
Mathematics, as news source, 82 
Memorandum for advertiser, speci¬ 
men card, 235 

Mergenthaler Linotype Company, 
213 

Messenger, Wichita High School, 
Wichita, Kansas, editorial from, 
195; story from, 91 
Metropolitan dailies, list, 22 
Metropolitan daily, organization, 25 
Metzer, Fritz, 146 
Miscellaneous events, as news 
source, 63 

‘‘Model Health Club,” news story, 

78 

Modern language class, as news 
source, 82 

Modern Roman extra condensed 
type, 208 



310 


INDEX 


Names, as news source, 137; im¬ 
portance, 55; use, 55 
National Education Association, 86 
Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, 
news letter, 2 

“The New Car,” editorial, 198 
New York Herald-Tribune, letter, 14 
New York Sun, story, 71 
New York Times, baseball story, 
129; story, 67 

News approach, varieties, 52 
News, beats, 35; definition, 44; in¬ 
gredients, 45; routine and spot, 
example, 44; sources for high 
school, 61; treatment as distinct 
from human-interest treatment, 8 
News-Index, Evanston, Illinois, 
story, 139 

News letter, as type of school publi¬ 
cation, 244 

News, Nicholas Senn High School, 
subscription plan, 236 
News, Roosevelt High School, 
Seattle, Wash., story, 93 
News stories, in the making, com¬ 
parative study of, 99; a photo¬ 
graph, 35 

News story, accuracy, 54; analysis, 
6; analyzing the structure, 6; as 
type of applied composition, 5; 
building, 65; dissecting, 102; ex¬ 
ample 158; examples of ways of 
writing, 101 

Newspaper, as news source, 63; 
contents, 4; rack and holder for, 
specifications for making, 41; 
some superior, 21; what is a, 21 
Newspaper Club, Harrington and 
Harrington, 21 

Newspaper press, description, 212 
Newspaper Writing and Editing, 
Willard G. Bleyer, 215 
Newspapers on file, 40 
Noel, Ralph, 138 
Noun clause, as lead, 70 

Observation and investigation, as 
sources of feature material, 135 
Occident, West High School, Colum¬ 
bus, Ohio, story from, 94, 116 
Official records, as source of feature 
material, 136 

Ohio State Journal, Columbus, Ohio, 
story, 45 


Other classes, as news source, 63; 
sample stories for school paper, 
91 

Palmer, George Herbert, 99 
Paragraph, badly organized, 52 
Parent-Teacher Association, as news 
source, 85 

Parentheses, rules for use, 260 
Participial clause, as lead, 71 
Penn-Ursinus, “ Opening Lineup To¬ 
day,” football schedule, 120 
“Perry, Furnace Expert, Has Cata¬ 
ract Removed,” news item, 51 
Personal brevities, effective method 
of compiling, 48; examples 49, 55; 
well-organized, 53 
Personal experience story, analysis, 
139; example, 139 
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, foot¬ 
ball game lineup, 120 
Phillips, Dorothy, 144 
Phrases, hackneyed, list of, 87; 

troublesome words and, 261 
Physical education class, as news 
source, 83 

“Pie Wagons,” editorial, 13 
Polaris Weekly, North High School, 
Minneapolis, editorial from, 197 
“Poor Way to Show School 
Loyalty,” editorial, 194 
“Popping the Question,” column, 
113 

Practical guidance story, analysis of, 
11; example of, 11 
Precede of entertainment, 105 
Prepositional phrase, as lead, 70 
Printer, working with the, 211 
Printing the school paper, things to 
consider in, 240 

Proofreading, example of, 173; hints 
on, 171; marks, 172 
Punctuation, rules for use, 257 

Questions and answers, column, 50 
Quill and Scroll, photograph, 35 
Quotation, as lead, 72; use in news 
story, 56 

Quotation marks, rules for use, 257 

R. O. T. C., as news source, 63 
Reminders in building news story, 75 
Reporters, duties, 25; kinds, 25; 
test of a good, 57 


INDEX 


Rewriting, art, 96; examples, 96, 98; 

modern trend, 96 
Roman bold type, 208 
Room news, 63 

Samples of applied composition, 4 
Sandegren, Paul, 206 
Schedule for stories edited and in 
proof, chart, 167 

Scholastic press association, value, 
43 

School charities, as news source, 
63 

School interpretation, 86 
School Life , Central High School, 
Tulsa, Oklahoma, stories, 144, 
146 

School, monthly program, 86 
School newspaper, advertising, 228; 
assignment blank, 33; as repre¬ 
sentative paper, 31; brevities, 49; 
business management, 226; en¬ 
gravings, 174; example of organi¬ 
zation, 28; example of schedule, 
32; filling out the item, 5; fre¬ 
quency of publication, 31; im¬ 
proving, 42; making up, 166; 
news leads, 47; news sources, 61; 
observation column, 50; office 
equipment, 38; organization, 26; 
organizing staff, 28; plan of or¬ 
ganization in operation, 30; pro¬ 
gram, 40; staff meeting, 34; start¬ 
ing machinery, 31; schedule for 
publication, 32; special editions, 
246; use of pictures, 174 
School page, 245 
Seaman, Cedric, 222 
Seasonal story, example, 144 
Seasons, holidays, anniversaries, as 
sources of feature stories, 143 
Semicolon, rules for use, 258 
Sentences, rhythm, 184 
“Sharps and Flats,” humorous 
column, 200 

Slang, good and bad, 186 
Slug, use of, 59, 164 
“So?” a poem, 202 
South High School, Minneapolis, 
story from Southerner , 58 
South Side Glee Club, entertain¬ 
ment, 109 

South Side Times , Fort Wayne, 
Indiana, story, 109 


311 

Southerner , South High School, front 
page, 170 

Special columns and articles, 149 
Special days, as news source, 63 
Special editions, 246 
Special weeks, as news source, 64 
Speech, writing story, 111; report¬ 
ing, 109; starting story, 110 
Sports, as news, 118; five news fac¬ 
tors, 118; for everybody, 119; 
trite phrases used in stories, 122 
Sports scores, examples, 255 
Sports page using streamers, photo¬ 
graph, 123 

“Sport Sparks,” column, 127 
Spotlight, Central High School, Fort 
Wayne, Indiana, editorial policy, 
192 

Stagger headline, example, 157 
Stet, use, 59 
Stratton, Arthur, 135 
Student council, as news source, 63 
Student court, as news source, 63 
Student honors, as news source, 64 
Student loan funds, as news source,64 
Students, feature stories about, 84 
Style shows, as news source, 81 
Subheads, example, 159 
Subscriptions for school newspaper, 
card, specimen, 238, 239; report 
card, 237; securing, 236 

Tabloid fiction, example, 15; in 
newspaper, 15 
Temporal clause as lead, 70 
Textbooks as news source, 64 
“Thought,” a poem, 202 
Thrift champions, story, 58 
Time, example of rewriting, 97 
Times, Roosevelt High School, Day- 
ton, Ohio, story, 93 
Titanic, story, 71 
Titles, rules for use, 256 
Track story, example, 128 
Traveling exhibits, as news source, 64 
Topical verse, example, 18; use in 
newspaper, 18 
Turner, Nancy Boyd, 181 
Type, estimating, 61; kinds of, 208; 

measurements of, 207; use of, 207 
Types of applied composition, 3 

Units, counting, 160 
Universities, as news source, 64 




312 


INDEX 


V-A-R-D-A, Moran Junior College, 
Atascadero, California, story, 
148 

Verse, as lead, 73 
Vickerman, Tom, 136 
Visits and excursions, as source of 
feature material, 138 
Vocational guidance, news source, 
64 

TV’s, five, 53 

Walla Walla High School, Wash¬ 
ington, rate card, 229 
Warrick, Walter, 222 
Washington, George, letter to step- 
grandchild, I 
Weak beginnings, 73 
“Weather,” a poem, 180 


Weekly Register, Central High 
School, Omaha, Nebraska, stories, 
57, 91, 92; editorial, 198 
Westward Ho!, quotation, 183 
Wild animal interviews, literary re¬ 
view, 18 

Words, acquaintanceship, 179; an¬ 
cestry, 176; changes in meanings, 
177; emphatic, 183; example and 
use, 179; familiar, 182; gaudy, 181; 
stories in, 177 

“Written on a Street Car,” a poem, 
18 

X-rays, new use for, story about, 98 
Youth's Companion, poem from, 181 
Zander, Joanna, 91 
















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